February 17, 2026
Friends Welcomes Musician Jennifer Nettles to its Board of Directors
Friends of the Global Fight is pleased to announce that singer, actress and advocate Jennifer Nettles will join its Board of Directors.
Nettles is a Grammy and Emmy-winning singer, songwriter, actress and producer, having won numerous awards as a solo artist and as the lead vocalist of Sugarland. Her creative endeavors have taken her from the screen to the stage, having appeared in fan-favorite leading roles across Amazon Prime Video’s The Bondsman and HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones. Nettles has starred in multiple Broadway shows, with credits including Chicago and Waitress.
She has lent her voice not only to the creative industry but to global health movements nationwide. Nettles is a long-term supporter of the ONE Campaign, Shalom Foundation and World Vision, motivated by her values of compassion and charity. She has championed the Faith-Based Coalition for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, encouraging communities of faith to act as advocates for international development.
“It is an honor to welcome Jennifer Nettles to our Board of Directors,” said Chris Collins, president and CEO of Friends. “As an advocate, a mother and a person of faith, she brings a unique and essential perspective to global health outreach and engagement. She has built an impressive platform that will continue to be crucial in supporting our advocacy.”
She has been honored with the Human Rights Campaign’s Ally for Equality Award and the Lincoln Center’s Artist Impact Award for her efforts, which highlight her commitment to reducing poverty, infectious diseases and health disparities among affected groups worldwide.
“I am overjoyed to join the Friends Board at a time when support for the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria is ever important,” said Nettles. “The millions of people impacted by these diseases aren’t just numbers—they are mothers and children in situations that many of us have never had to face. The Global Fund’s work is a game changer, and I am looking forward to being a part of Friends’ critical efforts to ensure continued U.S. leadership of the Global Fund.”
“Jennifer has been an incredible ally in global health advocacy,” said Dr. Jeffrey L. Sturchio, Friends’ board chair and past chairman and CEO of Rabin Martin, a global health impact consultancy. “She fights for health equity worldwide, and we are greatly looking forward to working with her to combat the AIDS, TB and malaria epidemics.”