Speakers

Joaquin Castro

Congressman for the 20th District of Texas and Chair of the subcommittee on International Development, U.S. House of Representatives

Joaquin Castro is an American democratic politician who has served in the United States House of Representatives for Texas' 20th congressional district since 2013. Joaquin serves on the House Armed Services Committee, as well as the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He has also been chosen as the 2013 co-President for the House Freshman Democrats and named Assistant Whip for House Democrats, charged with assisting in rallying members around important legislation. From 2003 to 2013, Castro was a member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 125. While in the Texas state legislature, Castro served as vice-chair of the Higher Education Committee and was a member of the Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee. He also previously served on other committees, such as County Affairs, Border & International Affairs, and Juvenile Justice & Family Issues. A second generation Mexican-American, Joaquin graduated with honors from Stanford University in 1996 and received his Juris Doctorate degree from Harvard Law School in 2000.

Dr. Beth Dunford

Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, African Development Bank

Dr. Beth Dunford became the Vice President of the Agriculture, Human and Social Development Complex at the African Development Bank Group in July 2021. She is responsible for the Bank’s strategy, lending and other activities in agriculture, water and sanitation, education, and health, as well as the Bank-wide work on employment and gender equity. Dr. Dunford leads the provision of technical expertise for the Bank’s multi-billion-dollar response to the Covid-19 pandemic in Africa. Dr. Dunford, a national of the United States of America, brings extensive experience to this role. She has held senior level leadership positions in the U.S. government where she managed large and complex programs, working with the private sector, civil society, and multilateral and bilateral institutions. Dr. Dunford has also worked with African governments to deliver agricultural, social and human development impact at scale. Prior to her appointment, Dr. Dunford worked as the Assistant to the Administrator in the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, as well as the Deputy Coordinator for Development for “Feed the Future,” the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative.

William Moore

CEO, Eleanor Crook Foundation

William Moore has served as CEO of the Eleanor Crook Foundation since 2015. In his role as the first CEO and full-time employee of ECF, he has led the organization in developing an ambitious strategy and investment plan, building partnerships across the global health and development community, and serving as a vocal spokesperson for the issue of global malnutrition. He was formerly chief storyteller at the United Nations Millennium Campaign, where he helped coordinate U.N. country office engagement plans for the Sustainable Development Goals, and worked to highlight the human aspect of data and development. Moore serves on the board of directors for Bread for the World and The Alliance to End Hunger, as well as the United Nations Foundation's Global Leadership Council. Additionally, he is the chair of the Coalition of Philanthropies for Nutrition. A North Carolina native, Moore graduated with top marks from Columbia University with a degree in American Studies.

Raj Kumar

President and editor-in-chief, Devex

Raj Kumar is the founding president and editor-in-chief at Devex, the media platform for the global development community. He is a media leader and former humanitarian council chair for the World Economic Forum and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. His work has led him to more than 50 countries, where he has had the honor to meet many of the aid workers and development professionals who make up the Devex community. He is the author of the book "The Business of Changing the World," a go-to primer on the ideas, people, and technology disrupting the aid industry.