The American University of Nigeria has announced Ambassador John Simon as the Speaker for this year’s Commencement scheduled for Saturday, May 10. He will be the sixth annual speaker at the University’s graduation since the inaugural class of 2009.
A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard University, Ambassador Simon recently served as the United States Ambassador to the African Union and the Executive Vice President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). He is a founder and Managing Partner of Total Impact Advisors, a firm of investment consultants, and the author of “More than Money,” a report on impact investing as a development tool.
Formerly at USAID as Deputy Assistant Administrator, Ambassador Simon was asked by the President to serve in the White House as Special Assistant to the President and as Senior Director for Relief, Stabilization, and Development for the National Security Council, the first to hold this post.
During his tenure at National Security Council, Ambassador Simon oversaw the implementation of ground-breaking development initiatives, including the Millennium Challenge Account, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative, and the President’s Malaria Initiative. He was also responsible for the U.S. government response to international humanitarian disasters, such as the 2005 South Asia Earthquake.
At OPIC, Ambassador Simon championed the agency’s involvement in the social impact investment marketplace, spearheading efforts to finance housing in Africa, small and medium businesses in Liberia, and large-scale, renewable power.
The American University of Nigeria was established in 2003 by Nigeria’s former Vice President, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar. Already one of the most important universities in Africa, it was conceived as Africa’s first Development University. Its mission is to educate leaders who will be prepared to tackle the development issues of Nigeria and Africa. The University offers an American-style education modeled after the curriculum of American universities, with an international faculty using the latest in Internet technology and e-learning resources and active student involvement in sustainable community development projects and research.
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