As Ukraine response field team lead, Jake Wheeler oversees Americares shipments of critical medicine and support for local organizations assisting adults and children affected by the war in Ukraine. Wheeler leads a team, based in Kraków, Poland, focused on delivering medicine and medical supplies to health facilities in Ukraine and providing emergency funding and other assistance to local organizations in Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine. Americares Ukraine response supports more than 60 partner organizations providing medical care, mental health support and other essential services to adults and children across all four countries. Wheeler has played a key role in Americares response to the war in Ukraine since April 2022, when he joined the health-focused relief and development organization as an emergency response and assessment officer in Romania. Americares responds to more than 30 natural disasters and humanitarian crises worldwide each year, establishes long-term recovery projects and brings preparedness programs to communities vulnerable to disasters. Americares relief workers are among the first to respond to emergencies, helping to restore health services for survivors. Prior to joining Americares, Wheeler worked for multilateral development organizations, bilateral government agencies and international non-governmental organizations. Most recently, he worked in South Sudan for four years as country representative for The Carter Center, overseeing all public health programming in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health. He previously worked in the Ministry of Finance, Republic of Liberia and consulted with the World Bank and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on refugee and migration issues. Wheeler earned a master’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a certificate in refugees and humanitarian emergencies from the Institute for the Study of International Migration. He received his bachelor’s degree from Emory University.
