About Mercy Corps: Our Leadership:

Neal Keny-Guyer, CEO

Neal Keny-Guyer (right), Mercy Corps CEO arrives during a visit in the Jakarta slums. Photo: Edy Purnomo for Mercy Corps

Neal Keny-Guyer is a social entrepreneur committed to creating a more just and peaceful world. A native of Tennessee, Keny-Guyer holds a B.A. in Public Policy and Religion from Duke University, an M.A. in Public and Private Management from Yale University, and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Portland State University, Oregon.

Keny-Guyer joined Mercy Corps in 1994 as Chief Executive Officer. Under his aegis, Mercy Corps has emerged as a leading international humanitarian and development organization with ongoing operations in nearly40 countries, a staff of 3,700, and an annual operating budget of $308 million. Keny-Guyer has forged new directions at Mercy Corps, most notably implementing global mergers and strategic alliances, placing human rights, civil society and social entrepreneurship at the forefront of Mercy Corps’ humanitarian mission, and building an organizational reputation for groundbreaking, innovative programming in the world’s toughest environments.

Keny-Guyer began his career with Communities In Schools in 1976 working with at-risk youth in the inner cities of Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia. Keny-Guyer then moved to Thailand in 1980 to focus on Cambodia’s refugees and war victims for CARE/UNICEF. In 1982, he began his tenure with Save the Children.

As Save the Children’s Director of Middle East, North Africa and Europe, Keny-Guyer managed a $44-million budget and supervised 900 staff in 10 countries. He designed and implemented high-impact relief and development programs in some of the most war-torn and politically sensitive regions on earth — including Lebanon, West Bank/Gaza and Sudan.

In 1990, Keny-Guyer undertook his toughest assignment — as a stay-at-home Dad for his first child, while launching strategic planning and organizational development consulting to businesses, foundations and non-profit agencies. He serves on the boards of Imagine Nations and InterAction, the Yale School of Management Board of Advisors, the Yale President’s Council on International Affairs Advisory Board and the Nike Foundation Advisory Group. Neal Keny-Guyer lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Alissa, and their three children.