David de Ferranti

David de Ferranti has over twenty-five years of experience in international development and U.S. domestic policy affairs, with leadership positions in international, government, and policy research organizations. As the World Bank’s Regional Vice President for Latin America, he headed up a business with a $25 billion loan portfolio, 700 professionals in 14 locations, and a $160 million budget, for six years until his retirement from the Bank in 2005. Before that, he was responsible for the Bank’s work worldwide in health, education, nutrition, population, and other social sectors, and earlier held other senior appointments. Previously, he also held management positions at Rand, the original think tank, and in the U.S. government. He joined Brookings as a Senior Fellow in 2005, when he retired from the Bank.

His research and writing have covered both developing countries and US domestic affairs. Internationally, he has worked on Africa and Asia as well as Latin America, and on issues in economic policy, education, health, nutrition, population, pensions, environmental protection, finance, poverty reduction, tax policy, urban and rural development, transport, and water supply and sanitation. On U.S. domestic affairs, he has concentrated on poverty issues, social programs, housing, public finance, water, and transportation.

He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University, with Outstanding Dissertation Award honors, and a Bachelors degree from Yale University, with Phi Beta Kappa and Magna cum Laude honors. His Board memberships have included: The Rockefeller Foundation (where he chaired the Finance Committee overseeing the investment of the Foundation's $3 billion endowment); The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (where he is the current Chair of the Board); Transparency International – USA; Technoserve, Inc.; The Inter-American Dialogue; The Pew Memorial Trust International Health Advisory Panel; The Center for Global Development Advisory Panel; The Lewis T. Preston Education Program; The Escuela Nueva Foundation; and The Partnership for Educational Revitalization in the Americas. He is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. He is a U.S. citizen by birth, with Australian, Belgian, Italian, South African, British, and Dutch roots.

He has lived in Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, and nine U.S. states, and has worked and traveled in many other countries.