Our Team
The Ridgeline Collective
The Ridgeline Collective is a network of public-health professionals, facilitators, and learning designers dedicated to strengthening how systems learn.
We combine technical expertise with a deep understanding of human-centered, experiential learning—helping partners turn frameworks into lived practice.
Our model is collaborative: a small core team supported by a trusted network of consultants and specialists who bring regional, technical, and thematic depth to each engagement.
Dr. Matthew Myers Griffith
Managing Director
Dr. Matthew Myers Griffith is an international public-health professional and Managing Director of The Ridgeline Collective, LLC—a consultancy dedicated to strengthening public-health systems through strategic learning, experiential training, and collaborative facilitation.
He brings over 15 years of experience in field epidemiology, outbreak investigation, and surveillance system evaluation, with a focus on helping individuals and institutions navigate complexity with clarity and purpose.
Dr. Griffith has worked with the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases. He has designed and led training programs for field epidemiologists, FETP supervisors, and trainees in more than 20 countries across Asia and the Americas.
His work integrates rigorous technical approaches with an appreciation for learning as a transformative, human-centered process.
Dr. Griffith holds a PhD in Population Health from the Australian National University, where his thesis explored learning in field epidemiology training programs, and a Master of Public Health in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He currently serves as Chair of the Global Field Epidemiology Partnership Technical Working Group on Field Epidemiology Competencies, is a member of the World Health Organization Academy’s Technical Working Group on Learners, and an active member of the Australia and New Zealand Association for Health Profession Educators (ANZAHPE).
Dr. Manyando Simbotwe
Interim Director of Operations & Strategy
Dr. Manyando Simbotwe is an experienced global health security specialist and infectious disease epidemiologist with over ten years of international experience in surveillance, emergency preparedness, and response.
She brings a proven ability to build cross-sectoral and cross-cultural partnerships—drawing on her deep experience across field, research, and policy environments—and is adept at aligning diverse stakeholders, including WHO, USAID, FAO, and UNICEF, toward shared global health security goals.
Currently, Dr. Simbotwe is leading the revamp of WHO WPRO’s STAR and Emergency Workforce Preparedness workshops, integrating TRC-style multi-scenario simulations to strengthen decision-making and real-time response capacity.
Her work bridges technical expertise and educational innovation, combining simulation-based learning, digital tools, and learner-centered pedagogy to deliver impactful training experiences.
With a strong foundation in data management, statistical analysis (STATA, R), and laboratory diagnostics, Dr. Simbotwe applies an evidence-driven approach to every project—helping organizations translate complex data and policy into practical, high-performing systems for global health security.
Our Network of Trusted Consultants
The Ridgeline Collective partners with a trusted network of consultants who bring complementary expertise across epidemiology, facilitation, monitoring and evaluation, organizational learning, and health-systems design.
This network enables flexible, context-specific engagement—drawing on the right blend of technical and facilitation skills for each project. Our consultants share a common foundation in the Ridgeline Learning Cycle and a commitment to experiential, reflective learning as a driver of system change.