 |
Toropova brings decades of experience in international public health and tobacco harm reduction to Global Action's team of experts committed to funding work to end the smoking epidemic.
NEW YORK, June 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Action to End Smoking is pleased to announce the appointment of Nataliia "Natasha" Toropova as its new Chief Development Officer, effective immediately.
"I'm honored to join Global Action, an organization that shares my own values of compassion for those who smoke and my vision of a world without smoking-related deaths," said Toropova.
Natasha will lead Global Action's efforts to expand its philanthropic reach by funding critical research and initiatives that accelerate progress toward ending smoking worldwide. She brings decades of experience in public health, tobacco control, and fundraising including as a Programme Manager for the World Health Organization (WHO) and as an Advocacy Coordinator at Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids in Eastern Europe. In these roles, she not only promoted public health initiatives but also led successful fundraising campaigns to support their missions.
Most recently, Natasha completed her six-year tenure as CEO of Healthy Initiatives, a nonprofit organization committed to strengthening public health by addressing the risk of non-communicable diseases in countries including Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. As a grantee of Global Action, Healthy Initiatives has educated hundreds of health care providers across nine countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia on the benefits of tobacco harm reduction for people who cannot or will not quit smoking—especially amid the stress of global conflict. The team has also provided critical aid—including CAT tourniquets, ambulances, and mental health support—to the areas most impacted by the ongoing war in Ukraine.
"Natasha brings a bold vision, deep expertise, and an unwavering commitment to public health," said Pam Parizek, Executive Board Chair of Global Action. "She's seen firsthand the positive impact Global Action's support can have to accelerate smoking cessation, and is the perfect person to lead our efforts to secure additional funding for this life-saving work."
Natasha joins Global Action at a pivotal time as the organization reinvigorates its commitment to grantees. Through a recent reorganization, Global Action has ensured its ability to exist until its mission to end smoking is completed, allowing it to honor existing commitments and fund future grants. Natasha's development work will directly support Global Action's grantees, which currently include projects with organizations such as Northwell Health, the National Harm Reduction Coalition and ECLAT, a research-based spinoff of the University of Catania. She will work closely with the executive leadership team to carry out her fundraising and outreach duties.
"Global Action remains steadfast in its commitment to its mission," said Heidi Goldstein, President and Chief Legal Officer of Global Action. "We have now guaranteed that our organization will last to see the end of the global smoking epidemic."
About Global Action to End Smoking
Global Action to End Smoking is an independent U.S. nonprofit 501(c)(3) grantmaking organization whose charitable mission is to end combustible tobacco use, which remains the leading preventable cause of death globally. Historically, Global Action received funding from PMI Global Services, Inc. (PMI). As of September 2023, Global Action and PMI terminated their original funding agreement, and Global Action formally adopted a policy not to seek or accept funding from companies that produce tobacco or non-medicinal nicotine products.
Media Contact:
Katherine Ellen Foley
202-215-9971
Katherine.Foley@actiontoendsmoking.org
Toropova brings decades of experience in international public health and tobacco harm reduction to Global Action's team of experts committed to funding work to end the smoking epidemic.
NEW YORK, June 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Action to End Smoking is pleased to announce the appointment of Nataliia "Natasha" Toropova as its new Chief Development Officer, effective immediately.
"I'm honored to join Global Action, an organization that shares my own values of compassion for those who smoke and my vision of a world without smoking-related deaths," said Toropova.
Natasha will lead Global Action's efforts to expand its philanthropic reach by funding critical research and initiatives that accelerate progress toward ending smoking worldwide. She brings decades of experience in public health, tobacco control, and fundraising including as a Programme Manager for the World Health Organization (WHO) and as an Advocacy Coordinator at Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids in Eastern Europe. In these roles, she not only promoted public health initiatives but also led successful fundraising campaigns to support their missions.
Most recently, Natasha completed her six-year tenure as CEO of Healthy Initiatives, a nonprofit organization committed to strengthening public health by addressing the risk of non-communicable diseases in countries including Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. As a grantee of Global Action, Healthy Initiatives has educated hundreds of health care providers across nine countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia on the benefits of tobacco harm reduction for people who cannot or will not quit smoking—especially amid the stress of global conflict. The team has also provided critical aid—including CAT tourniquets, ambulances, and mental health support—to the areas most impacted by the ongoing war in Ukraine.
"Natasha brings a bold vision, deep expertise, and an unwavering commitment to public health," said Pam Parizek, Executive Board Chair of Global Action. "She's seen firsthand the positive impact Global Action's support can have to accelerate smoking cessation, and is the perfect person to lead our efforts to secure additional funding for this life-saving work."
Natasha joins Global Action at a pivotal time as the organization reinvigorates its commitment to grantees. Through a recent reorganization, Global Action has ensured its ability to exist until its mission to end smoking is completed, allowing it to honor existing commitments and fund future grants. Natasha's development work will directly support Global Action's grantees, which currently include projects with organizations such as Northwell Health, the National Harm Reduction Coalition and ECLAT, a research-based spinoff of the University of Catania. She will work closely with the executive leadership team to carry out her fundraising and outreach duties.
"Global Action remains steadfast in its commitment to its mission," said Heidi Goldstein, President and Chief Legal Officer of Global Action. "We have now guaranteed that our organization will last to see the end of the global smoking epidemic."
About Global Action to End Smoking
Global Action to End Smoking is an independent U.S. nonprofit 501(c)(3) grantmaking organization whose charitable mission is to end combustible tobacco use, which remains the leading preventable cause of death globally. Historically, Global Action received funding from PMI Global Services, Inc. (PMI). As of September 2023, Global Action and PMI terminated their original funding agreement, and Global Action formally adopted a policy not to seek or accept funding from companies that produce tobacco or non-medicinal nicotine products.
Media Contact:
Katherine Ellen Foley
202-215-9971
Katherine.Foley@actiontoendsmoking.org
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Global Action to End Smoking Welcomes Nataliia Toropova as Chief Development Officer
ALULA, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the official opening of Desert X AlUla 2026, the landmark fourth edition of the international, open-air biennial exhibition. Arts AlUla, in collaboration with Desert X, welcomes visitors to experience a stellar line-up of Saudi and international multi-generational artists whose site-responsive earthworks, sculptures, and installations will engage in a powerful dialogue with the awe-inspiring landscapes and layered heritage of AlUla.
As a premier destination rich in ancient history and breathtaking nature, AlUla, located in Northwest Saudi Arabia, solidifies its position on the global stage as a dynamic, emerging land art destination with Desert X AlUla, the region's first public art biennale, and a key highlight of the AlUla Arts Festival.
The 2026 edition of Desert X AlUla brings together 11 acclaimed artists whose diverse works reflect a wide spectrum of ideas, materials, and traditions. From monumental kinetic sculpture to sound-based explorations above and below ground, each commission is deeply rooted in relationships to AlUla's distinctive environment, further cementing Desert X AlUla's reputation as a globally significant platform for site-responsive land art.
Desert X AlUla runs until February 28, 2026, as a cornerstone of the annual AlUla Arts Festival. Curated by Wejdan Reda, Zoé Whitley, with artistic direction by Neville Wakefield, and Raneem Farsi, its fourth edition explores 'Space Without Measure.' Inspired by Kahlil Gibran, the theme fosters contemplation of imagination within AlUla's natural settings. The exhibition, set in the desert canyons of AlUla, serves as a pre-opening programme for Wadi AlFann, offering a pivotal glimpse into AlUla's plans to create a permanent land art 'Valley of the Arts.'
Hamad Alhomiedan, Director of Arts & Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), said: "At Desert X AlUla 2026, audiences will engage with art that deeply converses with AlUla's unique landscapes and rich heritage. These compelling commissions highlight AlUla's dynamic transformation into a major global destination, where ancient and contemporary expressions converge. This exhibition is part of our broader revitalisation of AlUla as a culturally rich destination to live, work and visit and integral to positioning AlUla in the global dialogue of contemporary art and as a precursor to monumental projects like Wadi AlFann."
Participating artist/artworks are:
- Sara Abdu, A Kingdom Where No One Dies: Contours of Resonance
- Mohammad Alfaraj, What was the Question Again?
- Mohammed AlSaleem, The Thorn, AlShuruf Unit, The Triangles, Flower Bud, and Al Ahilla (courtesy of Royal Commission for Riyadh City)
- Tarek Atoui, The Water Song
- Bahraini-Danish, Bloom
- Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Imole Red
- Agnes Denes, The Living Pyramid
- Ibrahim El-Salahi, Haraza Tree
- Basmah Felemban, Murmur of Pebbles
- Vibha Galhotra, Future Fables
- Héctor Zamora, Tar HyPar
For further information, please contact:
Sabrine.Shaw@bursonglobal.com
AlUlaArtsFestival@bursonglobal.com
Multimedia gallery:
High-resolution photos of all 11 artists and their artworks can be found here.
About AlUla and Arts AlUla
Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.
The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages. AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes was developed from at least the 12th century and has been revitalised as the vibrant hub for visitors and residents.
The creation of Arts AlUla within The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is a commitment to crafting the next chapters in a millennia of artistic creation – celebrating cultural inheritance and shaping a future inspired by artists built be artists. The work of Arts AlUla seeks to preserve this legacy: fuse the old with the new; the local with the international, keeping the arts central to the spirit of AlUla as a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage.
Wadi AlFann, meaning 'Valley of the Arts,' will be a global cultural destination for land art, unveiling from 2028 onwards, where era-defining works by artists from around the world will be permanently sited in the monumental landscape of AlUla, the extraordinary desert region of north-west Saudi Arabia.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Desert X AlUla 2026: monumental land art exhibition opens in the ancient oasis of AlUla
