Charles Cox

VOCA Foundation Executive Director & President's Office Senior Advisor

Charles Cox serves as senior advisor in the president’s office and is the executive director of ACDI/VOCA’s VOCA Foundation. The VOCA Foundation’s mission is to mobilize resources from private foundations, corporations and individual donors in order to expand volunteer-generated economic opportunities and maintain the volunteer ethic within ACDI/VOCA. Previously, Mr. Cox served as ACDI/VOCA senior managing director and was responsible for supervising the design and implementation of programs in Latin America, the worldwide Cooperative Development Program and the worldwide Farmer-to-Farmer programs. Mr. Cox has 40 years of experience in international development. Since 1970 he has implemented and overseen technical assistance activities designed to improve the economic situation of small farmers and agroentrepreneurs, agricultural cooperatives and producer associations, and informal community groups. He has substantial experience strengthening environmental and rural development NGOs and extension services that promote sustainable farm production practices and environmentally sound natural resource management. His experience in overseas development began in 1966 with his service as a Peace Corps community development volunteer in the slums of Guayaquil, Ecuador, and continued with Peace Corps staff positions in Peru and Brazil from 1970 to 1975. He is ACDI/VOCA’s foremost authority on the use of expert volunteers to complement long-term, systemic development efforts. He earned an M.A. in public management from Seattle University and a B.A. in international relations from Middlebury College. Mr. Cox is fluent in French, Spanish and Portuguese.