Leading Global Development Organization Announces New CEO

Change in leadership comes at crossroad of strong growth, global financial crisis

(Washington, DC) March 2, 2009 - Pact (www.pactworld.org) is delighted to announce the appointment of Mark Viso as its next Chief Executive Officer.  Pact, an international NGO with staff in 25 countries, works on such issues as HIV/AIDS, orphans and vulnerable children, anti-corruption, person-to-person peace-building, and natural resource management .  Often operating in some of the world’s most challenging and remote places, Pact is a leading global capacity-building organization known for its technical expertise and innovative strategies.  Through Pact, thousands of local institutions across the world have received their very first funding.

"Mark has the ethical fiber, the bold imagination, and the broad management bandwidth which will make him a great fit for Pact," said Sarah Newhall, current President and CEO of Pact.  "He is deeply grounded in practical field realities and a capacity builder at his core.  He has all the energy, optimism, and savvy needed to lead Pact through these turbulent times."

Viso will be succeeding Newhall, who has been with Pact for 17 years, with nine at the helm.  During her tenure Pact has seen rapid and sustained growth.  Newhall and her husband David Pyle, a longtime global health expert with John Snow, Inc., are planning a move to Portland, Oregon where they will continue global and community activism.  Viso’s tenure will begin officially on April 15. 

Accepting the appointment Viso said, "What a remarkable gift to be given the opportunity to join Pact, an organization I have long admired for the tremendous impact they have around the globe, and the strong commitment to sustainability that permeates all they do.  I look forward to learning from, and building upon, the great work already being done at Pact to make a difference in the lives of individuals and communities where we work."

After a participatory and far-reaching search process, led by executive search firm Russell Reynolds, the Search Committee of Pact’s Board of Directors determined Viso was the most appropriate person to lead Pact. 

"We are confident that under Mark’s leadership, Pact will identify new opportunities to build capacity worldwide and continue its commitment to operational excellence, accountability and transparency," said Stephen Oleskey, Chairman of the Pact Inc. Board of Directors.  "Mark’s outstanding record and skills make him a superb choice to succeed Sarah."

"Mark combines a passion for international development with incredible field and headquarters experience," said Lyndon Haviland, Chair of Pact’s Search Committee.  "He has the operational and management skills we were looking for and a vision for how to communicate Pact’s commitment to participatory development and capacity building worldwide.  The Board and all of the staff at Pact are looking forward to working with Mark."

Viso is stepping down from his position as Senior Vice President for International Programs at World Learning.  He joined World Learning in 2007 after 12 years at World Vision.  At World Vision Viso held several key positions.  Most recently, he was Vice President at World Vision US, where he oversaw World Vision US’s international program portfolio, including grant acquisition and management, resource allocation and grant making, program strategy and performance, technical assistance, and financial management.  Viso’s field experience includes multi-year World Vision assignments in Vietnam, Azerbaijan and Bosnia as well as three years with AMIDEAST in West Bank/Gaza, and a brief time in Ethiopia.

At World Learning, Viso led institutional change.  He introduced a multi-year strategy and Balanced Scorecard which has led to greater alignment between strategy and action.  Under his leadership, World Learning’s international development portfolio has grown by over 22 percent in two years, and has diversified funding streams to include foundations, international organizations and private donors.

For more information please contact:

Marshall Maher
Director of Communications, Pact
Washington, D.C.
+1 (202) 466-5666
mmaher@pacthq.org

Please find out more about Pact and our work at www.pactworld.org



Pact's mission is to build empowered communities, effective governments and responsible private institutions that give people an opportunity for a better life. We do this by strengthening the capacity of organizations and institutions to be good service providers, represent their stakeholders, network with others for learning and knowledge sharing, and advocate for social, economic and environmental justice. Interdependence, responsible stewardship, inclusion of vulnerable groups, and respect for local ownership and knowledge are core values across all of our programs.