COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS DOCTOR OF HUMANE LETTERS HONORIS CAUSA NEAL KENY-GUYER Neal Keny-Guyer,CEO ofMercy Corps, is a "socialentrepreneur" with a calling to help the disadvantaged. Under his leadership the Portland-based company has emerged as a leading international reliefand development agency with programs in more than 30 countries and an annual operating budget in excess of $140 million. Since joining MercyCorps in 1994, Mr. Keny-Guyerhas forged new organizational directions—most notably by globalizing operations through mergers and strategic alliances; placing peace-making, human rights, and civil society at the heart of MercyCorps humanitarian mission; and building an organizational reputation for innovative and entrepreneurial practices. A native of Tennessee, Mr. Keny-Guyer earned his B.A.in public policy and religion from Duke University and a master of public and private management from Yale.His career began in America's troubled inner cities in 1976. As special projects coordinator for Cities-In-Schools (a nationwide organization known now as Communities-in-Schools), he worked with at-risk youth to stem high school drop-out rates and gang activity among minority young people in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia. In 1980, Mr.Keny-Guyer moved to Thailand to aid Cambodian refugees.As field coordinator for CARE/UNICEF, he organized an emergency relief program along the Thai-Cambodian border, including cross-borderdistribution of food and agricultural supplies. With Savethe Children over the next nine years, Mr. Keny-Guyerdesigned and implemented high impact relief and development programs in some of the world's most war-torn and politically sensitive regions including Somalia, Lebanon, West Bank/Gaza, Afghanistan/ Pakistan, and Sudan. Asdirector of the agency'sMiddle East, Europe, and North Africaprograms, Mr.Keny-Guyermanaged a $44 million budget and supervised 900 staffin 10 countries. Todayhe serves on the boards of local and national organizations, including InterAction, an alliance of humanitarian and development organizations, and on the board of advisors for YaleSchool of Management. For his dedication to humanity and commitment to making the world a better place, Portland State University is honored to award Neal Keny-Guyer the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters and to have him deliver the 2005 Commencement address. 7
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