Raymond C. Offenheiser
President, Oxfam America

"Aid That Works: Creating a 21st Century Vision for U.S. Development Assistance" - February 25, 2010 The president of Oxfam America told an overflow audience that now is the time to reform U.S. foreign aid by making legislation, unchanged since the Kennedy administration in the 60s, reflective of the many lessons learned in the last 50 years. Offenheiser emphasized the need to make aid packages more flexible to meet the needs of affected communities. Empowering local communities to participate in decision making about what will work to bring them out of poverty is an important part of successful aid programs, but difficult under current regulations.   While at USD, Offenheiser also met with students from the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, International Business and other departments, and with faculty and San Diego media, including KPBS' "These Days."

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Read "Aid Needs Help," published in Foreign Policy on May 11, 2010 by Mr. Offenheiser

Biography

Raymond C. Offenheiser has been president of Oxfam America for 13 years. During his tenure, he has overseen the growth of Oxfam America from a small nonprofit agency into a recognized world leader in the global social justice movement.  Under his direction, Oxfam America has increased its annual budget fivefold to $75 million, substantially increased its donor base and created a diverse and highly professional staff.

Recently Offenheiser joined a high-level group of think tanks to promote the modernization of foreign assistance. The intent is to replace the Kennedy and Cold War era vision for American aid with a new strategy, mandate, legislation and structure to guide America’s international aid efforts into the 21st century. 

Offenheiser has also positioned Oxfam America as a leading actor in the field of corporate social responsibility by initiating the Private Sector division at the organization. Under his leadership, Oxfam America has started a variety of innovative partnerships with Fortune 500 corporations.

Before joining Oxfam America, Offenheiser served for five years as the Ford Foundation representative in Bangladesh and, prior to that, in the Andean and Southern Cone regions of South America. He has also directed programs for the Inter-American Foundation in both Brazil and Colombia and worked for Save the Children Federation in Mexico.

With over 30 years of work in the field of international agricultural development, Offenheiser is active as member and advisor to numerous organizations on issues of food security, climate change, trade reform and sustainable development, including the World Agricultural Forum, Biovision, World Fish Center and the Green Group of leading environmental CEOs.  He is currently the honorary president of Wetlands International, the leading nonprofit global network focused on the protection of wetlands throughout the world. 

Offenheiser is a frequent commentator in the media on such issues as foreign aid, international debt, human rights, humanitarian crises and global trade policies. He has appeared in programs on all major U.S. news networks as well as BBC and CNN International and has been a quoted source in the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe and numerous other major American newspapers. 

Offenheiser is currently a member of the board of Oxfam International and BRAC USA, and for 10 years served on the board and executive committee of InterAction.  He has also served and is serving on numerous advisory councils for such groups as the Clinton Global Initiative, World Economic Forum, Aspen Institute, Asia Society, Global Philanthropy Forum, Council for Economic Development, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Business School, Stanford University’s Center for Global Business, and Kellogg Institute for International Studies at Notre Dame. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Inter-American Dialogue. 

Educated at Notre Dame and Cornell, Offenheiser lives in Carlisle, Mass., with his wife Suzanne, son Patrick and daughter Deirdre.  He is a passionate Latin Americanist and speaks Spanish and Portuguese fluently. 

Updated on 2/25/2010