Catherine Bertini
2003 World Food Prize Laureate
Catherine Bertini is a professor of Public Administration and International Affairs at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. She teaches graduate courses in international relations and leadership. She is a Distinguished Fellow, Global Agriculture at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She is a leader in public sector management, international organizations, humanitarian relief, agricultural development, gender programming, and nutrition policy. Her career spans public service at international, national, state, and local levels and includes university teaching and leadership roles in private and non-profit sectors. Ms. Bertini served as the UN World Food Programme’s Executive Director and transformed WFP into the world’s largest and most responsive humanitarian organization. As director, she led the efforts to end famine in North Korea, avert starvation in Afghanistan, ensure food was delivered effectively during crises in Bosnia and Kosovo, prevent mass starvation in the Horn of Africa and focusing on women as the key to ending hunger. Because of her reforms, WFP was held as the model for UN efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability. Ms. Bertini was named the 2003 World Food Prize Laureate for her leadership at WFP in ending famine and decreasing hunger.