Afaxys Announces CEO Transition – Newsweek

Ronda Dean, co-founder and CEO of Afaxys, a health care services provider, announced her retirement on Monday, effective January 2, 2026, when Chief Commercial Officer Christian Bloomgren will take over as the new CEO. Dean, who has been CEO since co-founding the company in 2008, will stay on as an executive advisor after the transition.

Bloomgren joined Afaxys in January 2024 from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was an entrepreneur-in-residence working with startups in the life sciences industry. Before that, he was in commercial and sales leadership roles at Infinant Health, Dominion Aesthetic Technologies, Therapeutics MD and PerkinElmer. He also served as a captain in the Air Force.

What To Know

A public-benefit company, Afaxys has operations that include a group purchasing organization that serves more than 6,700 health care sites and the launch of multiple contraceptive products. Before Afaxys, Dean was leading a 300-person team at Parke-Davis Pharmaceuticals, a division of Warner Lambert, before its merger with Pfizer in 2000, and was a general manager at Planned Parenthood Federation North America.

In August, Afaxys secured $8 million in funding to advance its mission of improving access to affordable contraceptives across the United States.

Why It Matters

Afaxys works in partnership with a variety of industry stakeholders to provide “reliable supply chains for clinics that serve Medicaid and Title X patients.” An August statement notes that the $8 million in funding will be used to finish “the development of a novel contraceptive product, specifically designed to address the needs of marginalized communities and the more than 19 million women living in contraceptive deserts.”

Bloomgren will take over a growing company after gaining recent funding.

What People Are Saying

“Serving as CEO and President of Afaxys for the past 17 years has been an incredible privilege,” Dean said in a statement. “From the very beginning, our mission has been grounded in reproductive justice and gender equity, and I am profoundly grateful to my colleagues, partners, and customers who have shared that passion and purpose with me. Afaxys has served millions of patients over the past 17 years.”

“I am honored to step into the role of Afaxys’ CEO and am tremendously grateful for the support and collaboration I’ve experienced over the past two years working with Ronda and our exceptional team at Afaxys,” Bloomgren, who will also maintain his role as president, said in a statement. “As we move forward, my priority is to stay true to our mission, while positioning the company to achieve even greater growth and impact as leaders in public health.”

“The selection of Ronda’s successor has been an important objective for the Board over the past few years, and we are equally excited to welcome Christian as our new CEO,” said Sarah Stoesz, chair of the Board of Afaxys and the former president and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States. “The Board is confident he brings not only a deep understanding of our mission and vision, but also the drive and experience to guide Afaxys into its next chapter of growth and impact.”

What’s Next

As Bloomgren takes over the CEO responsibilities, Afaxys will also be looking for a new chief commercial officer. There is ample time ahead of Dean’s January 2 retirement date, and she’ll be staying on as an advisor after that.

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