Governor Richard F. Celeste and Ambassador Vicki J. Huddleston Join CHF Board

Governor Richard F. Celeste and Ambassador Vicki J. Huddleston Join CHF International Board of Trustees

Silver Spring, MD, March 20, 2012
Governor Richard F. Celeste and Ambassador Vicki J. Huddleston have joined the Board of Trustees of CHF International (CHF), the Silver Spring, Maryland-based international development and humanitarian assistance organization.
“It is a pleasure to welcome Governor Celeste and Ambassador Huddleston to CHF International and I am looking forward to working with them closely as our trustees,” says CHF President and CEO David A. Weiss. “Together, their creativity, knowledge and experience in politics, international development, education and innovation will help us advance our mission of partnering with communities around the world to help them improve their lives and livelihoods.”
Governor Richard F. Celeste has had a long and distinguished career in international affairs, politics and education. He was appointed Director of the Peace Corps in 1979, a position he held until 1981. At the time the Peace Corps was present in 53 countries. He then went on to serve as Governor of the State of Ohio, where he revitalized the state’s economy to be competitive in the 21st century. After serving two terms he was appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to India by President Bill Clinton, where he served until 2001. He recently retired from his position as the 12th President of Colorado College in Colorado Springs. During his tenure, applications to the university grew from 3,400 to 4,900 a year. He holds a degree from Yale University, from which he graduated magna cum laude, and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University.
Ambassador Vicki J. Huddleston began her overseas career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru, and she has since risen to serve in multiple U.S. State Department posts overseas, including as Ambassador to Madagascar and Mali, Principal Officer in Cuba, and Deputy Chief of Mission in Haiti. Domestically, she has held the posts of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Africa and Deputy Director of Cuban Affairs. Ambassador Huddleston currently serves as U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs. Over the course of her career she has received many awards from the State Department, including a Distinguished Honor Award and a Presidential Meritorious Service Award. She holds a Masters Degree from Johns Hopkins and a Bachelor’s degree from University of Colorado and is the co-author of the book “Learning to Salsa: New Steps in U.S.-Cuba Relations.”
“I am very pleased that Governor Celeste and Ambassador Huddleston are joining us on CHF International Board of Trustees,” says Robert A. Mosbacher Jr, Chairman of the CHF International Board of Trustees. “As the world changes around us rapidly and the relationship between the developing and developed worlds becomes less distinct, the wisdom and experience of these two distinguished diplomats will be of great assistance in helping the people around the world who need it most.”