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Release date
July 14, 2004
Contact
Elizabeth Griffin
Director of Communications
Baltimore, MD
410-951-7361

U.S. Senate Confirms Appointment of CRS President to Millennium Challenge Corporation Board of Directors

July 14, 2004, —

Late last night, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the nomination of Ken Hackett, President of Catholic Relief Services, to serve on the Board of Directors of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). President George W. Bush nominated Hackett for the post based on the recommendation of Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle.

The MCC is a new initiative of the Bush Administration and the U.S. Congress to improve the accountability and impact of foreign assistance. Mr. Hackett is one of four non-governmental members who will serve on the MCC Board of Directors and possibly the only member from the private international humanitarian aid community.

“I am honored to accept this appointment, and I thank President Bush, Senator Daschle and all members of the U.S. Senate for their vote of confidence,” Mr. Hackett said. “High expectations have been set for the Millennium Challenge Account. As a member of the Board, I intend to utilize my years of experience in the international relief and development arena to make U.S. foreign assistance more effective, and to ensure that the poor and disenfranchised overseas are empowered to lift themselves out of poverty and chronic hunger.” Hackett also pledged to ensure that the MCC promotes partnerships with overseas civil society groups, better donor coordination, and greater coherence with U.S. foreign policy goals.

Senator Daschle (D-SD) remarked in a floor statement to his colleagues that Mr. Hackett “will fight to ensure that the MCC does not lose sight of our shared goal of protecting the poorest of the world’s poor.” Daschle added that approving Hackett “is a vote for retaining America’s leadership to end suffering.”

Ken Hackett’s entire professional career has focused on aiding the poor and disenfranchised overseas. He has lived and worked in Kenya, Ghana, Sierra Leone and the Philippines. While serving as CRS Regional Director for Africa in the early 1980s, Hackett oversaw the famine relief operation in Ethiopia—the largest operation undertaken in the agency's history. Mr. Hackett was appointed Executive Director of CRS in 1993, and President ten years later. Under his leadership, CRS has grown to become one of the most effective and efficient relief and development agencies in the world. He oversees relief and development operations in 94 countries and territories and commands a global staff of over 4,000.

For more information about Catholic Relief Services, visit www.CatholicRelief.org.