Christopher Dunford, President of Freedom from Hunger since 1991, is an international development specialist with more than 30 years of work experience in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the United States. Dr. Dunford provides strategic and partnership development leadership, participates in program development, and speaks and writes for international audiences.
Dr. Dunford is one of the pioneers of Credit with Education, a key Freedom from Hunger initiative. Under his leadership, the integration of microfinance with education about health protection and livelihood skills has become one of Freedom from Hunger’s hallmarks and an increasingly prevalent approach to poverty reduction globally.
Dr. Dunford began his career working for the U.N. and USAID; after several years, he found he wanted to work more closely with the people he wanted to help, and also in a smaller organization, where he could have a real impact. This led him to Freedom from Hunger in 1984, where he served as Director, Arizona Programs; Regional Director, U.S. Programs; Director, International Operations; and Vice President for Programs prior to becoming President.
Dr. Dunford, who holds a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Arizona, received the Warner P. Woodworth Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University in 2004. In 2008, he was named one of the 20 most influential people in microfinance by the Imp-Act SPM Network.
Dr. Dunford says, “When I visit the field to sit among the women at a self-help group meeting, I know I've made a difference. I can feel the impact of my work on their lives. Their spiritual energy renews my own."
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