Mr. Lee is a seasoned international development professional with 35 years of experience working in the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. He has traveled extensively, on both long-term and short-term assignments, working with the United States Agency for International Development and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) to facilitate an increase in domestic agricultural production in numerous developing countries. He is a strategic thinker focusing primarily on the building of technical capacity within farming communities, cooperatives, and agribusinesses seeking to improve domestic agricultural productivity. He is a respected leader in designing and implementing food-industry interventions that strengthen producer organizations and promote greater access to international export markets. His work with refugee programs in Africa particularly has provided him with a proven capacity in facilitating humanitarian relief programs. He is skilled in the design and implementation of programs that focus on food aid delivery to vulnerable populations impacted by conflicts or natural disasters.
Mr. Lee has held senior positions guiding and directing teams of agricultural professionals in the implementation of agricultural research programs especially focusing on improving access to agricultural inputs. He has led teams in the design and implementation of horticultural programs to maximize production on limited arable land, and has promoted programs to increase competitiveness in agribusinesses. In recent years, Mr. Lee has worked with teams to design agricultural development programs that focus on enhancing economic opportunities through the creation and marketing of value-added agriculturally based products. These efforts have focused on small disadvantaged agriculturally dependent communities interested in creating value-added products for small and medium-scale commercial enterprises in order to raise domestic incomes and improve standards of living in those communities.
Mr. Lee’s long-term goal is to apply his agribusiness, economic and humanitarian experience to privately funded international, state, or local community-sponsored programs that strive to empower leaders that are committed to improving the condition and economic opportunities for their communities through agribusiness.