Accomplished International Development Official Named New CEO of Plan International-USA

Dr. Tessie San Martin to Begin Serving as CEO on October 1, 2010

WASHINGTON, June 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Plan International-USA, a leading nonprofit, child-centered, humanitarian organization with a special focus on ensuring the health, education, and well-being of girls and boys in developing nations, has named Tessie San Martin, Ph.D., as its new CEO.

Dr. San Martin will officially join Plan International-USA on October 1, 2010, when she succeeds Audrey Bracey Deegan, a longtime board member who has served as interim CEO since November 2009.

Dr. San Martin brings to Plan International-USA impressive credentials developed over a 25-year career in a wide variety of international development roles. Her experience includes work in public and private sectors, bilateral and multilateral development agencies, and academia.

"Plan International-USA is at an exciting point in its history as we prepare to embark on a number of important initiatives to improve the lives of children around the world," said Oren Whyche-Shaw, chairwoman of Plan International-USA's board and the leader of the Plan search committee that selected Dr. San Martin as the new CEO. "Tessie San Martin is a remarkably talented individual who has the perfect background and expertise to help lead Plan into the future."

"I have always had a passion for international development and for improving the lives of children throughout the world, and these are two areas where Plan has developed a tremendous reputation," said Dr. San Martin. "I look forward to bringing my skills and expertise to Plan to help them build on their success in improving the lives of children across the globe."

Whyche-Shaw thanked interim Plan International-USA CEO Audrey Bracey Deegan for her service over the past eight months. "Plan has responded to some major challenges affecting children in recent months, including the Haiti earthquake, and Audrey has provided strong leadership during this period. We are grateful for her many years of service to Plan, most recently as our interim CEO, but also throughout her 12 years as a member of our board of directors."

Dr. San Martin was most recently group vice president for international development at Abt Associates, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company that applies scientific research and technical-assistance expertise to a wide range of social, economic, and technological policy issues; international development; clinical trials and registries; and complex business problems.  

Prior to joining Abt Associates, Dr. San Martin worked as the director for the operations group of the World Bank's Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), where she was responsible for the agency's political-risk insurance and technical-assistance programs. Dr. San Martin managed a group of 45 professionals. As director she was responsible for facilitating the integration of the agency's $1.2 billion underwriting operations with other risk-mitigation products in the World Bank. She also oversaw development of the agency's  new strategic framework as well as the significant increase of MIGA's trust funds to support an expanded technical-assistance portfolio of activities.

Prior to joining MIGA, Dr. San Martin was a partner in IBM Consulting Services (formerly PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting), where she was responsible for building a $100 million portfolio in international development spanning more than 40 countries. The portfolio included privatization projects in Egypt, Bosnia, and Indonesia; capital markets and corporate governance strengthening projects in the former Soviet Union and India; pension reform programs in Mexico and Poland; and competitiveness and workforce development projects in Egypt. Previously she was an adjunct professor at Florida International University in Miami, president of a consulting company in Washington that specialized in strategic planning, and senior faculty adviser for a management institute in the Dominican Republic.

Dr. San Martin holds a Ph.D. in political economy from Harvard University, a master's in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.

SOURCE Plan International-USA