IIRR Announces Change in Leadership

The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) announces that Juan Miguel Luz has succeeded Pratima Kale as its President and that Susan Grove is now the Director of IIRR's US Office.

Pratima Kale Thanked for Seven Years of Service

At the end of 2005, Dr. Pratima Kale completed her term of service after leading IIRR for seven years. During her tenure, new programs were initiated and an office established in China, where IIRR's guiding philosophy of participatory, sustainable development, formulated by its founder, Dr. Y.C. James Yen, took root toward the beginning of the last century.

Programs in Africa grew in size and scope, encompassing Uganda alongside Kenya and Ethiopia and expanding to include work in gender, reproductive health, drought cycle management and pastoralist education, as well as many facets of livelihood that impact rural poor communities. An integrated, multi-year program of participatory development was established in one of the poorest regions of the Philippines and is yielding significant positive impacts in the areas of health, nutrition, agriculture and environmental conservation. Building community management capacity to reduce disaster risk received strategic focus as a new program area in response to the needs of rural communities around the world, with work initiated in Latin America. Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms were strengthened. Learning was shared and impact multiplied through development partners engaged via training, publications, workshops and writeshops in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

IIRR would like to take this opportunity to publicly express appreciation for the extensive role Dr. Kale played in the high quality work carried out under her leadership, and to extend congratulations for the well-deserved honor conferred upon her by the President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, when she received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award in January 2006. The prestigious award, bestowed upon prominent non-resident Indians, recognized Dr. Kale for her “outstanding achievement in the field of rural development.”

Juan Miguel Luz Welcomed as President

In 2006, Juan Miguel (Mike) Luz was appointed as Pratima Kale 's successor. Mike Luz comes to IIRR with extensive experience and leadership positions in NGOs, academia, government and the private sector. He most recently hails from the Department of Education, the Republic of the Philippines, where he served as Undersecretary of Education. Prior to government, he was associate professor at the Asian Institute of Management and headed the Institute's Center for Corporate Responsibility. Mr. Luz also served as associate director of Philippine Business for Social Progress, the largest developmental NGO in the country.

Mr. Luz holds a Master's degree in public administration from Harvard University 's Kennedy School of Government, where he focused on international development. IIRR welcomes Mike Luz and is confident he will continue to build on the foundations laid down by Pratima Kale and lead IIRR forward in the years to come.

Susan Grove Welcomed as US Office Director

IIRR also welcomes Susan Grove as Director of the US Office. Susan Grove brings to her new role broad international experience in rural and community development and a strong background in non-profit management. Most recently, she provided consulting to Oxfam America's global rural microfinance initiative, in which capacity she worked with local partner organizations in Cambodia and Mali. Ms. Grove has initiated planning for economic development initiatives for Village Focus International in the Lao PDR; developed and managed gender and community economic development projects for Fundatia EuromConect in Romania; and conducted a microfinance analysis for IIRR's regional center in Ecuador.

In the United States, Ms. Grove has managed financial and human resources for several non-profit organizations. She holds a Master's degree in International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, where she focused on issues relating to rural development.

8 Posted on : March 3, 2006