Robert L. Traynham II, Ph.D.

Joined the amfAR board in June 2021. Serves as board secretary. Serves on communications/social media/marketing and compensation committees. Expertise in strategic communications, public relations, marketing, politics and public policy.

Dr. Traynham is Executive Vice President at America’s Health Insurance Plans, overseeing all marketing, insurance education, member governance, events, and non-dues revenue generation. He is also a professor at Georgetown University and a Georgetown University Fellow.

Dedicated to public service, in addition to serving on amfAR’s Board of Trustees Dr. Traynham serves as Governor of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, where he can directly impact the lives of 82,000 Pennsylvania students. In 2022, he founded and launched the Martha’s Vineyard Ideas Festival, a charity focused on bringing the arts and ideas to the island of Martha’s Vineyard year-round.

Dr. Traynham served as the Global Spokesperson for Meta (the parent company of Facebook), where he appeared on numerous broadcast networks daily, representing Facebook.  He previously held roles as Head of External Affairs and Head of Global Public Affairs for Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus.

His previous roles were Vice President of Communications for the Bipartisan Policy Center, Washington Bureau Chief for Comcast/NBCUniversal, and Deputy Chief in the United States Senate. He also hosted a radio show on SiriusXM Radio, a television show on ComcastNBC, along with appearing on MSNBC for over a decade as a political analyst. 

Dr. Traynham holds a bachelor’s degree in political science, a master’s in communications, and a Ph.D. in history.  In his free time, he juggles photography, perfecting his baking skills, and learning how to sail.

He lives in Washington, DC.