Leadership Team
A diverse and experienced team of experts in sustainable development and organizational management is leading Heifer to reach its mission to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth.
 Jo Luck, President and CEO
Jo Luck, who became president and CEO of Heifer International in 1992, has a distinguished record of public service. In 1979, she became then-Gov. Bill Clinton’s first cabinet appointee when he named her executive director of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. She served in that post for more than a decade.
Jo Luck achieved another first in 1982-83, when she was chosen as the first woman president of the Hendrix College Alumni Association. She also served as the first executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, an organization modeled after the Children’s Defense Fund in Washington, DC. She attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and served on the executive committee of the Alumni Advisory Board. In 1999, she attended Harvard Business School’s Executive Education Session on Governing for Nonprofit Excellence.
 Jim De Vries, Senior Vice-President of Programs
Dr. James De Vries directs Heifer’s International Programs, including Global Services and the Washington, DC office. He provides leadership to the headquarters team as well as to Heifer’s on-the-ground staff around the world, developing and managing more than 488 programs through 35 country offices. He has been director of International Programs since 1992 and was director of Africa/Near East Programs from 1982 to 1992. Dr. De Vries was born in Sexbierum, The Netherlands, and was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1961. He is fluent in English, Dutch and Swahili; and reads and understands German. He has a Ph.D. in continuing and vocational education from the University of Wisconsin, an M.S. in cooperative extension (education) and a B.A. in history and religion from Bloomfield College in New Jersey. He specializes in agricultural extension/adult education, rural development and dairy production development and management.
 James Neal, Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration
James Neal leads Heifer’s finance, human relations, legal, facilities, and information technology efforts. He joined Heifer in November 2005, and has over a quarter-century of diverse knowledge and skill in corporate financial management, including hands-on experience in fields ranging from Financial Planning and Analysis, Global Treasury and Internal Control. He has worked at Fortune 500 companies such as Ford Motor Corporation, Baxter International and Tenneco Inc. (JI Case Division). In addition, he established a financial advisory firm whose practice included corporate and governmental support on multinational transfer pricing schemes, debt restructuring alternatives, and international finance. Using a fellowship grant from the Ford Foundation, Mr. Neal earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin. He also acquired a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin with emphasis in finance and accounting, and a Bachelor of Science degree in International Economics from Northwestern University.
 Tanya Wright, Senior Vice President of Institution Building
Tanya Wright leads a diverse team including Education, Organizational Development, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Global Initiatives, Advocacy, and Internal Audit. Tanya joined Heifer in January 2001 as the Chief Information Officer and also has served as Senior Vice President of Internal Operations, where she provided leadership for Legal Services, Finance, Facilities, Human Resources, Information Technology and Organizational Development. Tanya’s accomplishments at Heifer include coordinating and developing a team to build the new Heifer International Headquarters, which led to Heifer being awarded the prestigious Phoenix Award for excellence in brownfield redevelopment; assisting in the development of a global Human Resources department; developing the Information Technology and Legal Services departments; developing and sponsoring the Crisis Management Team; completing legal assessments world-wide resulting in a baseline of Heifer’s current legal framework. Before coming to Heifer International, Tanya was Director of Infrastructure Solutions for the American Heart Association, where she successfully implemented a Wide Area Network (WAN) connecting 300 offices and 3000 staff members throughout the U.S. with updated hardware and software systems while streamlining operations. Tanya earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Arkansas. She also is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Executive Education: Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management..
Donna Jared, Senior Vice President of Development
Donna Jared is Senior Vice President of Development and is responsible for the capital gifts, major gifts, grants, community relations and donor services fundraising functions. Joining the organization in 1997, she has been responsible for managing the Executive Office as well as holding the position of Director of Donor Services during her career at Heifer. Prior to joining the organization, Donna held the position of Donor Services Manger at ALSAC (American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities), the fundraising arm for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the world-renowned childhood cancer research facility in Memphis, Tennessee. She holds a degree in business administration from Southwest Tennessee College.
 Tom Peterson, Senior Vice President of Communications and Marketing
Tom Peterson joined Heifer International in 1992 and leads direct and Web marketing, which raises most of the Heifer funds, public relations, corporate relations, video and other external communication efforts for Heifer. He is publisher of both hungerMovement.org and World Ark, a 400,000 circulation magazine on ending hunger and poverty. Prior to his work at Heifer, Mr. Peterson served as managing editor of American City & County Magazine and as president of Global Ink, a communications company that developed materials for relief and development organizations, including UNICEF, Church World Service and The Carter Center. From 1980-1989, Mr. Peterson edited Seeds, a magazine about U.S. and world hunger. He received a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Texas and a Master of Divinity from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
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