November 14, 2025 – ACT for NIH President Richard Turman today announced that he will be stepping down from leading the NIH advocacy organization, and its affiliated education arm ACT for NIH Foundation, effective January 1, 2026, and that experienced NIH and FDA leader Kate Klimczak has been appointed to take his place. “I’ve had a great run and am delighted that someone of Kate’s caliber will now take up the mantle of ACT for NIH leadership,” Turman said.
ACT for NIH Founder and Chairman Jed Manocherian praised Richard’s leadership and welcomed Kate to ACT for NIH. “NIH congressional champions, especially those on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and in Leadership understand the enormous power of science to ease human suffering and have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to NIH over the last decade. In this particularly challenging year, they have included increases for NIH in both chambers’ bills. ACT for NIH has been a leader in this fight under Richard’s leadership and we’re so pleased that Kate shares our passion and will carry on ACT for NIH’s noble mission to increase medical research funding. No federal expenditure has a better return on investment and does more to drive our economy, rein-in unsustainable entitlement costs, and spare millions from the ravages of disease. The cost is billions, the return is trillions, and it is priceless to patients and their families” said Manocherian.
Manocherian also stated that “ACT for NIH has been blessed with great leadership from the beginning, starting with Pat White in 2014 and with Richard Turman taking the baton in 2020. They earned the trust of the members of Congress and the staff with whom they worked and were leaders in the NIH advocacy community toward our shared goal of increasing NIH funding.”
“I am delighted that Kate Klimczak has agreed to now lead our efforts as President of ACT for NIH and of ACT for NIH Foundation,” Manocherian continued. “She has the passion, policy expertise, extensive contacts, leadership experience, and strategic acumen to lead our cause, and joins ACT for NIH as the next phase in a distinguished career in public service, which has included significant funding and policy advocacy on behalf of the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration.”
Kate spent the last 15 years serving various roles across the Department of Health and Human Services and its Operating Divisions engaging Congress on a variety of appropriations, policy and oversight issues. Most recently she served as NIH’s Associate Director for Legislative Policy and Analysis. In this role she developed and executed the Agency’s congressional engagement strategy and oversaw NIH’s response to congressional oversight investigations. She also coordinated the Director’s engagement with many of the Agency’s key external partners, including Congress, patient groups, associations, and industry representatives.
“I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to continue advocating for bold science policies and robust funding increases for NIH, the world’s pre-eminent supporter of biomedical research focused on improving human health.” said Klimczak. “I look forward to working with the ACT for NIH team, the entire biomedical research community, and NIH’s congressional champions in support of NIH” she concluded.
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