Mercy Corps (MC)

Neal Keny-Guyer. 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… See full bio.

Neal Keny-Guyer Chief Executive Officer, Mercy Corps Jan 12, 2012

Mercy Corps makes it a priority to quickly deploy our teams to the world’s toughest places to help people survive after natural disasters and conflicts. We bring our deep experience in emergency response: delivering food and water, providing shelter and… Read More.

Story: There is no shortage of disasters taking place around the world. Climate change is contributing to the ever-increasing number of natural disasters across the world, reflecting a long-term trend: more disasters that are increasingly severe and that disproportionately affect the poor. Similarly, man-made crises continue to proliferate. At the end of 2008, according to the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNCHR), there were nearly 25 million people – 10.5 million refugees and 14.4 million internally displaced persons – receiving protection or assistance globally. Disasters not only create humanitarian crises, but also threaten long-term development and weaken the possibility of achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Mercy Corps works to help communities emerge quickly from disasters with limited loss of life and human suffering, and with a solid foundation for secure, productive and just development. Despite the destruction and devastation that occur during a disaster, Mercy Corps has seen that these times of turmoil and tragedy also present a unique opportunity for positive change. Mercy Corps adds its greatest value as an international relief and development agency by supporting those kernels of positive change with community-led and market-driven action from the earliest possible moment in emergencies. Accordingly, Mercy Corps approaches emergency response with a long-term vision for change. Mercy Corps created its Global Emergency Operations (GEO) unit in 2000, with a mandate to provide immediate emergency relief while identifying early recovery opportunities to help survivors build a better future. Since then, members of our GEO team have deployed in more than 30 international emergencies and have provided technical support and coordinated emergency response in many more.

Evidence of Impact Summary:

Emergency response experts praise Mercy Corps for consistently having a high quality impact in disaster settings. Their work is of high quality, centered on indicators and benchmarks that demonstrate impact on activities undertaken. Experts also cite the huge impact of their post-crisis development work, which has improved long-term access to basic needs like food and health care services.
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Organization Strengths Summary:

Disaster relief experts applaud Mercy Corps as being one of the strongest relief agencies in the world and acknowledge them as a leader in the field. Experts identified Mercy Corp's greatest strengths as being the high quality nature of their work, and their innovative, bold, adaptive approach to emergency relief.
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Areas for Improvement Summary:

Experts recommended that Mercy Corps work on building up their staff, increase their focus, coordination, and do more research.
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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 nearly 40 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. Neal Keny-Guyer is on the Board of Trustees of the Yale Corporation and also serves on the Yale President’s Council on International Affairs and the Board of Advisors of the Yale School of Management (SOM). In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors of ImagineNations and the Nike Foundation’s Advisory Board. Neal Keny-Guyer lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Alissa, and their three children.

Neal Keny-Guyer Chief Executive Officer, Mercy Corps Jan 12, 2012

Mercy Corps makes it a priority to quickly deploy our teams to the world’s toughest places to help people survive after natural disasters and conflicts. We bring our deep experience in emergency response: delivering food and water, providing shelter and medical care, making sure people have the essential supplies they need to survive and get back on their feet. But we also bring our commitment to helping people build back better. We partner with local people to help them secure peace, grow more food, improve health, educate and protect children, empower women and start businesses that raise the standard of living for families and communities. Our programs provide the tools, training and resources to help restart local economies so the most vulnerable members of society can become stronger in the face of future disasters and self-sufficient over the long term. —Mercy Corps makes it a priority to quickly deploy our teams to the world’s toughest places to help people survive after natural disasters and conflicts. We bring our deep experience in emergency response: delivering food and water, providing shelter and medical care, making sure people have the essential supplies they need to survive and get back on their feet. But we also bring our commitment to helping people build back better. We partner with local people to help them secure peace, grow more food, improve health, educate and protect children, empower women and start businesses that raise the standard of living for families and communities. Our programs provide the tools, training and resources to help restart local economies so the most vulnerable members of society can become stronger in the face of future disasters and self-sufficient over the long term.