User:Jymelyne/David Beckmann

David Beckmann is the 2010 World Food Prize Laureate.

He currently serves as president of Bread for the World, Bread for the World Institute, and the Alliance to End Hunger. He is an economist and Lutheran pastor. His most recent book is Exodus from Hunger.

World Food Prize
David Beckmann and Jo Luck were awarded the 2010 World Food Prize for their work in leading two of the world's foremost grassroots organizations addressing hunger and poverty around the world. In honoring David Beckmann and Jo Luck, the Wood Food Prize recognizes the critical efforts of NGOs in empowering people to end hunger in their communities.

David Beckmann, leading Bread for the World, was specifically credited with "marshaling a quarter of a million constituent contacts a year with elected officials through letters, email messages, and meetings. Bread's army of citizen advocates has engaged an ever-expanding network of concerned people urging support for legislation to change the policies, programs, and conditions that allow hunger and poverty to persist."

Since 2000, Bread members and activists in all 435 U.S. congressional districts have had some success in their advocacy: Funding for domestic food programs and nutritional awareness has doubled, Congress has tripled U.S. development assistance, and quadrupled U.S. aid to Africa.

Biography
Beckmann is a native of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Beckmann briefly served as a parish pastor, then was called and ordained to be a missionary economist.

He and his wife lived in Bangladesh in the 1970s working with the Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service. Beckmann has also lived in Ghana.

Prior to becoming President of Bread for the World in 1991, Beckmann served at the World Bank for 15 years, overseeing projects in Bolivia and Ecuador, and driving innovations to make the Bank more effective in reducing poverty.

Beckmann has visited more than 70 countries. He is fluent in Spanish.

Education
Beckmann has earned degrees from Yale University, Christ Seminary, and the London School of Economics. Six universities have awarded him honorary doctorates.