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United Nations Global
Ambassador on World Hunger
A war hero, 22-year U.S. congressman
and presidential candidate, George McGovern will long be remembered
for his courage in speaking out against U.S. involvement in the
Vietnam War, his friendship and respect for the common man, and his
work on behalf of American farmers and hungry children throughout
the world.
In 1956 McGovern was elected to the
U.S. House of Representatives where he served until 1960 when
President John F. Kennedy named him the first director of the Food
for Peace Program and special assistant to the president. In this
position he made the first offer of U.S. assistance that paved the
way for the establishment of the World Food Programme. Throughout
his congressional career, McGovern was instrumental in creating
programs to alleviate hunger, including Food for Peace, the school
lunch program and food stamps.
In 1998, President Bill Clinton
appointed him ambassador to the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization in Rome, and in 2000 honored him with the Presidential
Medal of Freedom. In 2001, he was appointed the first United Nations
global ambassador on world hunger.
McGovern is a native of South Dakota
and a graduate of Dakota Wesleyan University where he was also a
history professor.
Executive Director
World Food Programme
James T. Morris became the executive
director of the World
Food Programme in April 2002. Four months later, United Nations
Secretary General Kofi Annan appointed him special envoy on the
humanitarian crisis in southern Africa.
In this role, Morris will help raise
awareness among the international community of the dramatic
situation in the region, where severe food shortages are threatening
the lives of nearly 13 million people.
Morris has combined a distinguished
career of business and organizational management with a personal
life of public service for more than 35 years. Before joining WFP,
he was chairman and CEO of IWC Resources Corporation, the parent
company of the Indianapolis Water Company.
He also served as president of the
Lilly Endowment, one of the largest charitable foundations in the
United States.
Morris succeeded Catherine Bertini,
the first U.S. citizen to head the Rome-based program and last
year's McGovern Center Conference keynote speaker.
Under Secretary for
Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services
United States Department of Agriculture
Eric M. Bost was confirmed by the
U.S. Senate and sworn in as the under secretary for food,
nutrition and consumer services in 2001.
He served as chief executive and
administrative officer of the Texas Department of Human Services
before being appointed to the USDA. As DHS commissioner, he managed
one of the largest human services agencies in the country, with more
than 15,000 employees and an annual budget of $3.5 billion.
From 1994 to 1997, Bost served as
deputy director of the Arizona Department of Economic Security, a
comprehensive human services agency with responsibilities including
welfare reform, child welfare, managed care programs, long-term
care, licensing and certification, aging and community services, and
protective services for children and adults.
He has served in a variety of
positions in several state social welfare agencies, as well as
private and non-profit organizations.
He earned a bachelor's degree in
psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and
a master's degree in 1985 from the University of South Florida.
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