New MCC executive director named

Robert William Davis

Robert William Davis has been appointed the next executive director of Mennonite Central Committee.

Dr. Davis, currently senior vice-president of program services for Freedom from Hunger in Davis, Calif., will begin his assignment June 1. During the month of June he will work closely with the outgoing executive director, Ronald J.R. Mathies, and then assume full responsibilities. Mathies, who announced his retirement in Sept. 2003, has served as executive director for nine years.

A native of Lancaster County, Pa., Davis brings extensive international development, poverty alleviation and public health experience to the job. He holds a master’s degree in public health and a PhD in population dynamics, both from Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, Md. He also holds a bachelor of science in theology from Lancaster Bible College, Lancaster, Pa.

Davis said he is motivated by a strong vision for Christian ministry and a desire “to serve and seek to be an agent of reconciliation, a faithful servant and a community builder.” He has taught in the Summer Peacebuilding Institute at Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Va. This May, he will be teaching the course, “Designing learner-centred training for conflict transformation.”

Early in his career Davis served as a health technical advisor and administrator for World Vision in the West African country of Mauritania. He has served as an independent consultant to various development agencies such as the International Assistance Mission, Catholic Relief Services, the World Bank, Peace Corps and the International Catholic Migration Committee.

Davis is also the chair of the Child Survival Collaborations and Resources Group (CORE), a 38-member professional consortium of U.S. nongovernmental organizations engaged in maternal and child health work around the world.

“Dr. Davis has a work and life vision that aligns with the vision of MCC,” said Donella Clemens, a member of the selection committee and former MCC executive committee member. “He brings an eagerness and enthusiasm to be part of the MCC mission.”

Davis and his wife, Nancy, are parents of two children, one a student at Bethel College, North Newton, Kan., and one at home. They are founding members of a Mennonite house fellowship in Davis, Calif. While living in Lancaster they attended East Chestnut Street Mennonite Church.

—MCC release