January 30, 2012 – Grameen Foundation has appointed Gordon S. Lavigne Vice President for External Affairs.
Lavigne, who was previously Chief Development and Communications Officer at The ALS Association, brings 15 years of nonprofit development, communications and marketing experience to Grameen Foundation. In his new position, he will spearhead the foundation’s efforts to fundraise and broaden awareness of its multi-faceted approach to tackling global poverty.
He joins Grameen Foundation during a time of growing interest and support for the full range of solutions that microfinance and mobile technology provide to the poor, including the foundation’s work to provide access to financial services beyond microcredit, and access to life-saving information, financial services and unique business opportunities via the mobile phone. For example, Grameen Foundation has been leading initiatives that are giving poor people a safe place to save, providing them with health, agricultural and financial information via mobile devices, and helping organizations measure and manage how well they are meeting the needs of the poor.
“This is an exciting period of change and transformation in the microfinance and technology-for-development sectors, and we are pleased to have Gordon leading our efforts to build support for our work around the world,” said Alex Counts, president and CEO, Grameen Foundation.
Throughout his career, Lavigne has focused on health, education and job-training issues. In addition to The ALS Association, he also has held senior development positions at the Autism Society of America, the Alzheimer’s Association and the University of California, Berkeley.
“I’m honored to join the professionals at Grameen Foundation in their mission to create and advocate for solutions that will enable poor people around the world to improve their families’ financial well-being and transform their communities,” said Gordon Lavigne. “Our supporters and volunteers have been tremendous allies in our work and with their support, as well as advances in technology, we plan to build an even stronger community that is dedicated to giving poor people the tools they need to create their own future.”
Lavigne has served on the Board of Directors of CFRE International. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Lewis & Clark College and a Master’s in Higher Education Administration from The University of Vermont.
About Grameen Foundation
Grameen Foundation, a global nonprofit organization, helps the world’s poorest people lift themselves out of poverty by providing access to financing and management strategies to the local organizations that serve them. It also develops mobile phone-based solutions that address “information poverty” among the poor by providing tools, information and services in the fields of health, agriculture, financial services and livelihood creation. Founded in 1997, Grameen Foundation has offices in Washington, DC; Seattle, WA; Colombia; Ghana; Hong Kong; Kenya; the Philippines; and Uganda. Microfinance pioneer Prof. Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank and winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, is a founding member of its Board of Directors, and now serves as director emeritus. For more information, please visit grameenfoundation.org.