C.D. Glin, currently the Associate Director of the Africa Regional Office for the Rockefeller Foundation, will be sworn in as the new President of the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) on September 6 th , USADF Board Chairman Jack Leslie announced today. Mr. Glin will succeed Shari Berenbach, who passed away earlier this year after serving three years as President.
USADF is an independent Federal agency working directly with Africa’s most vulnerable and underserved communities to secure economic development and growth at the grassroots level. The agency prides itself on being a community-level connector , awarding grants of up to $250,000 to African-owned institutions and groups. The grants while catalytic in nature are significant in impact. Just last year, USADF leveraged $40 million in new economic activity in some of Africa’s most fragile and marginalized communities.
At the helm, Mr. Glin will lead the agency’s efforts to combat some of Africa’s most difficult development and foreign policy challenges in the hardest to reach, and often most impoverished communities. C.D. comes to USADF with vast experience in development programs in Africa, intergovernmental relations, and leadership of both public and private sector programs.
His most recent experience has been with the Rockefeller Foundation. As Associate Director based in the Africa Regional Office in Nairobi, Kenya, C.D. contributed to and led the development and execution of several important initiatives in the areas of Impact Investing, Climate-Smart Rural Development and YieldWise, a $130 million dollar effort to improve rural lives by reducing post-harvest crop loss and promoting sustainable sourcing in African agriculture value chains.
“C.D. is a champion for Africa and has a deep and lasting appreciation for USADF’s work at the grassroots level. C.D has seen the importance of USADF’s model and working with the marginalized and underserved since his days as a Peace Corps volunteer in South Africa, to his work today managing the East Africa
portfolio for Rockefeller. C.D. has seen the power of community-level transformation and USADF will benefit from his experience, passion and thoughtful leadership.” Mr. Leslie said. “We are pleased that he has decided to head the organization and build on the legacy of serving the most vulnerable.”
Mr. Leslie also expressed the organization’s gratitude and sincere admiration for Ms. Constance Newman who has led USADF while the selection process took place: “Connie has been a stabilizing force of calm and a steady hand after the tragic and sudden death of our past president, Shari Berenbach.”
Prior to joining the Rockefeller Foundation, C.D. was a presidential appointee in the Obama Administration where he served as the first Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and Global Partnerships for the U.S. Peace Corps. In that capacity, he led inter-agency collaboration efforts and leveraged approximately $20 million dollars through agreements with public and private sector entities to enhance the developmental impact of almost 9,000 volunteers serving worldwide.
Previously, C.D. served as Vice President for Business Development at CDC Development Solutions (now PYXERA Global), an industry-leading global non-profit dedicated to private-sector led development and international corporate volunteering and as Director of the MBA Enterprise Corps and MBAs Without Borders programs. C.D. worked for the State Department, USAID and the World Bank while living in Ghana and Nigeria and he served as volunteer in the first Peace Corps South Africa group during the Presidency of Nelson Mandela.
“I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to lead USADF,” Mr. Glin said. “It’s Africa’s time; and returning to Washington, DC after spending the past five years on the continent, I have a first-hand perspective of the transformational change occurring. USADF provides a unique opportunity to contribute to this progress and growing prosperity, while enhancing America’s engagement with the continent.”
The agency is at the forefront of supporting African-led solutions to Africa’s challenges. By awarding seed grants and making early stage investments in communities and entrepreneurs, we are the community-level connector between African ingenuity and US foreign assistance. Glin also noted, “I can’t wait to join the team of hard-working, committed USADF staff; their perseverance, diligence, and expertise is a shining example of how innovative grassroots development approaches, catalytic financial support and local technical assistance can have a major impact in improving millions of lives.”
He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Howard University; a Master’s in Business Management from Tulane University and Postgraduate Diploma in Strategy and Innovation from Oxford University. In 2011, C.D. was designated by the White House as a “Champion of Change” for his commitment to international service and civic participation.