Pact taps organizational change manager as VP for programs

Pact has appointed former ORBIS International program operations director Jeff Whisenant as VP for programs. Known for his experience in managing organizational change and growth, Whisenant will oversee coordination of Pact's worldwide field operations and global initiatives in 13 countries in Asia and Africa and will report directly to the president and CEO. At ORBIS Whisenant doubled the budget of the program office and tripled its staff in less than two years through developing new private-sector partnerships with corporations, foundations and technical donors. During this time he planned and led the integration of two distinct program departments into a single unified department of 60 technical, management and administrative staff.

"Jeff's consensus-building leadership style, skill in managing program consolidation and growth, and wide familiarity with organizational learning strategies, ideally suit him to manage the growth of Pact's program operations," said President & CEO Sarah Newhall.

Prior to his work at ORBIS, Whisenant spent 13 years at Lutheran World Relief (LWR), working his way up to senior management, where he served simultaneously as senior program director and program director for Latin America. During this time he facilitated a process of "re-thinking how LWR works" that led to more cross-departmental collaboration and greater organizational efficiency.

Whisenant, who teaches a course on international NGOs as an adjunct professor at New York University, is highly regarded for his knowledge and expertise in the organizational development and evolution of international NGOs. He has a master of science in public and nonprofit management from New York University, a master of arts in international political economy and development excellence from Fordham University, and a bachelor of arts in chemistry from the University of North Carolina. He is fluent in French and Spanish and knowledgeable in Haitian Creole, Portuguese and Mandarin.