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Dean R. Hirsch
Friday, August 1, 2008
Dean R. Hirsch is president
and chief executive officer of World Vision International, a
global partnership which annually assists over 100 million people
in 97 countries, with the priority for focusing its relief, development,
and advocacy work on children. A Christian agency with an annual
budget of over $2 billion, World Vision's focuses on overcoming
poverty while protecting children from abuse, neglect, exploitation,
and HIV/AIDS. This work connects Dean Hirsch with the World
Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Organization for
Economic Co-operation and Development, as well as other international
institutions such as the UN Security Council on the issue of
children in armed conflict, and the World Trade Organization
on how trade can reduce poverty. He chairs the Global Movement
for Children, an international coalition of organizations, groups,
and individuals committed to the well being of children. Mr.
Hirsch also serves on the Foundation Board of the Global Humanitarian
Forum.
A veteran of world trouble spots
including Somalia, Cambodia, and North Korea, Dean Hirsch has
worked extensively in disaster and post-conflict situations.
He has helped set up famine relief in Ethiopia, AIDS prevention
efforts in Africa and Asia, and peace building programs in countries
such as Bosnia, Rwanda, and El Salvador. Under his leadership,
World Vision's income has tripled, allowing the organization's
23,500 staff members to provide health care, education, clean
water, emergency food, tools, shelter and technical know-how
to millions of the world's poorest people. His mission is to
help create a world in which no child suffers or dies for lack
of food, clean water, shelter, or protection from exploitation
or war.
Prior to his appointment as
international president of World Vision in 1996, Dean Hirsch
served as chief operating officer, vice president for development,
and vice president for relief operations for the organization.
He joined World Vision in 1976 as manager of computer operations.
He holds a Master of Science degree from Indiana State University
and a Bachelor of Arts and an honorary doctorate from Westmont
College in Santa Barbara, California. He has also received honorary
doctorates from Pepperdine University, Eastern University of
Pennsylvania, and Myongji University in Seoul, Korea. |
