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2007 Symposium in Human Needs and Global Resources

Distinguished Guests

This year the HNGR Program is very pleased to welcome two distinguished guests from Heifer International, one of HNGR's long-standing partners. The first HNGR intern was placed at Heifer in 1996, and since then five more HNGR interns from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds have worked alongside Heifer International in their efforts to promote sustainable agricultural practices.

Plenary Speaker

Dr. Jim De Vries, Senior Vice-President of Programs
Dr. James De Vries leads Heifer's International Programs. This team includes over 600 staff in 36 countries, including the USA which manages programs in 50 countries. He has been director of International Programs since 1992 and was director of Africa/Near East Programs from 1982 to 1992.

Before coming to Heifer, Dr. De Vries was a professor and Head of the Agricultural Extension and Education Department of Sokoini University in Tanzania. Dr. De Vries was born The Netherlands. He has a Ph.D. in Continuing and Vocational Education from the University of Wisconsin, an M.S. in Cooperative Extension (education) and a B.A. in History and Religion from Bloomfield College in New Jersey. He has published many articles on rural development and agricultural extension.

Dr. De Vries will give a plenary lecture entitled The Heart of the Matter: Holistic Values-Based Community Development. He will use Heifer International as a case study that reflects a much broader movement in development theory and praxis.

Convocation/Chapel Speaker

Swaleh Karanja, Africa Area Director of Programs
Swaleh has an immense amount of experience and expertise to bring to the Africa Area Program. Originally from the Rift Valley Province in Kenya, Swaleh holds a BA in Adult Education from NYU and a Masters in International Administration from the School of International Training. He has since worked for several development programs in Belize, Turkey, Liberia, Nicaragua, Panama, India, Bolivia and Kenya.  He has worked for CARE International, Save the Children, the World Food Program, and the Center for International Policy. He has also extensively worked with other development partners including DANIDA, NORAD, UN agencies, COSUDE, the Dutch government, OFDA, CIDA, DFID, USAID, IBRD, IDB, and a host of other national and international NGOs.

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