World Relief Announces New President and CEO Myal Greene

BALTIMORE, July 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- World Relief, one of the world's leading global Christian humanitarian organizations, announced today that its board of directors has approved the appointment of Myal Greene as the organization's new president and CEO, effective August 16, 2021.

He will succeed World Relief's retiring CEO Tim Breene and President Scott Arbeiter, building on the solid foundation they set in the last five years of their leadership to continue World Relief's mission of serving the most vulnerable around the world.

"During my fourteen years with World Relief, I have seen God at work in our organization in countless ways," said Myal. "I am grateful for the extraordinary leadership of Tim and Scott, and I am continuously inspired by our more than 1,500 staff in the U.S. and around the world. I believe God has used all of my experiences to equip me for this new role and to help me magnify the life-changing work our team is doing."   

Steve Moore, chair of World Relief's board of directors, said, "Nearly two years ago, the Governance Committee refined our succession planning process, and the search team implemented that game plan with excellence. Out of an impressive, diverse group of exceptional candidates, Myal Greene emerged as the clear choice to lead World Relief in this exciting season. I've been energized by my interactions with Myal and look forward to collaborating in pursuit of the mission of World Relief in this next chapter."

Steve continued, "Scott Arbeiter and Tim Breene, our outgoing president and CEO, have served World Relief with excellence and positioned us well for this transition moment. Jointly, they have enthusiastically affirmed the selection of Myal."

Myal steps into his role with vast experience both overseas and in the United States, most recently as World Relief's senior vice president of International Programs. Myal began his work with World Relief in Rwanda in 2007, where he led the development of a new church-based programming model, known as Church Empowerment Zones (CEZ). Under Myal's leadership, the CEZ model has grown from a small pilot project with 150 churches in Rwanda to a global model that has reached over 5,000 churches across nine countries. In 2010, he became the World Relief Rwanda country director, tripling the office's size over three years, and then transitioned to Africa regional director, followed by World Relief's Developing Countries unit director.

During his two years as senior vice president of International Programs, Myal led the organization in scaling major grant-funded programs and launching a significant gender equity initiative.

Of the challenges ahead, Myal commented: "Nearly 80 years ago, World Relief was founded in response to the world's greatest humanitarian crisis. Today, we face the most significant crisis of our lives. Much of the world is still facing rising COVID-19 cases, and hundreds of millions of people have fallen deeper into poverty due to the pandemic. Domestically, our work to serve refugees and immigrants is more relevant than ever. World Relief, in partnership with churches across the globe, has a critical role to play in the lives of millions of people around the world."

World Relief's reach internationally has more than doubled in the last two years, and Myal looks to continue to scale the organization's impact. As COVID-19 continues to ravage lives and livelihoods around the world, there have been widespread repercussions like increasing fatality rates, worsening maternal-fetal health, and a decrease of social protection for children. Domestically, World Relief seeks to continue to promote the protection of vulnerable migrants, including refugees and asylum-seekers, while expanding services to them through our 17 U.S. offices.

Myal holds a B.S. in finance from Lehigh University and an M.A. from Fuller Theological Seminary in global leadership, and he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in organizational leadership from Eastern University. He and his wife, Sharon, have three children. They were members of Trinity Life Church in Lutherville, Maryland, for five years before relocating to Chesapeake, Virginia, where they attend New Life Church.

Scott Arbeiter and Tim Breene, outgoing World Relief president and CEO, respectively, offered the endorsement: "It has been our privilege to witness Myal's growth as a leader over the past five years. He has substantially increased the depth, breadth and impact of our international work while simultaneously growing in his understanding and commitment to our U.S.-based work among refugee and immigrant populations. Myal has a unique set of gifts, passions and experiences that make him an outstanding choice to lead World Relief into the future. He has our full and enthusiastic support!"

World Relief has a rich history of serving the most vulnerable through its programming, empowering the local church and speaking truth to power in its spheres of influence. Throughout its 75+ year history, World Relief has stood firm in the knowledge that the work and organization have always belonged to God, and they are confident that the work that God has started He will continue.

To learn more about World Relief, visit worldrelief.org.

About World Relief
World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to the world's greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. For over 75 years, we've partnered with churches and community leaders in the U.S. and abroad to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable.

SOURCE World Relief