The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recently announced the appointment of Henrietta H. Fore as its new executive director. Fore has more than four decades of executive experience in the public and private sectors. She joins UNICEF after a long stint as chairman of the board and CEO of Holsman International, a global investment and manufacturing corporation. Spending a large portion of her career in the public sector however, Fore served concurrently as both the director of United States Foreign Assistance in the U.S. State Department and as the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from 2007 to 2009. Prior to those positions, she was the Under Secretary of State for Management for two years where she was, effectively, the chief operating officer for the U.S. Department of State. Fore is also known for her tenure as the 37th director of the United States Mint, a position she held from 2001 to 2005.
Extending her public service beyond just government positions, Fore also has had leadership positions with several civil society organizations. She currently serves as global co-chair of Asia Society and as chair of the Middle East Investment Initiative. Always busy, she is also on the Boards of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, Center for Global Development and Initiative for Global Development. Prior to assuming her position at the helm of UNICEF Fore stepped down from all outside board engagements that could bring up conflicts of interest. Fore’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in history from Wellesley College and master’s in public administration from the University of Northern Colorado. Married with four children, she currently resides in both Nevada and Washington, D.C. and also spends some time in Santa Barbara, CA where she is a lemon and avocado rancher. Henrietta Fore took over as UNICEF’s seventh executive director effective Jan. 1, 2018.
Video: UNICEF
