Gary Edson

Gary Edson is the Chief International Officer at The Case Foundation in Washington, DC. Prior to his position at The Case Foundation he was Managing Director at Stonebridge International, a global strategic consulting firm. Headed by President Clinton’s National Security Advisor, Stonebridge helps businesses and foundations develop and implement strategies to solve critical problems, manage risks, and seize opportunities worldwide.

Edson’s career has spanned the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, focusing on critical social, economic, and humanitarian challenges. From 2001 to 2004, he served as Deputy National Security Advisor and Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs.  He:

• Co-led the development of the multi-billion dollar Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) -- the largest commitment ever by any nation for an international health initiative – which has scaled up HIV/AIDS treatment in Africa from less than 50,000 to over 2 million people;
• Established the ground-breaking Millennium Challenge Corp. to fight global poverty, taking it from conception to incorporation; the MCC – which links increased aid to sound policies – has committed over $6 billion to almost 20 developing countries.
• Oversaw the launch of the African Education Initiative, which increases access to education through scholarships, textbooks, and teacher training.

He was also the chief U.S. negotiator for the annual Summits of G8, Latin American, and Asia-Pacific leaders, and coordinated the U.S. response to financial crises in Brazil, Turkey and elsewhere. Earlier in his career, he was General Counsel to the U.S. Trade Representative, and Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State.

Edson’s business experience has ranged from the Fortune 100 to private equity, with a focus on turnarounds. He headed a Chicago-based private equity firm, ECG, Inc., which acquired, among other things, PaR Systems, Inc., a manufacturer of computer-integrated robotics. He also served as Vice President of Ameritech, and Vice President of Equity Group Investments, Inc., reporting to the Chairman, Sam Zell.

When his public service was interrupted by an illness, Edson applied his experience to the nonprofit world. He served as Senior Advisor to the Chairman of Special Olympics, spearheading a strategic partnership with UNICEF. Edson also helped launch the global nonprofit, Malaria No More, to combat the #1 killer of children in Africa, and conceived and co-led the planning for the 2006 Summit on Malaria.
           
Edson is a member of the board that oversees the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship, the U.S. government's premier international exchange program, which operates in over 155 countries. He also is Chairman of Deworm the World, a nonprofit launched by a group affiliated with the World Economic Forum to combat tropical diseases that infect 400 million children worldwide.  He previously served on the boards of Chicago State University, Jobs for Youth, and the ARCH Development Corporation, a joint venture of Argonne National Laboratory and The University of Chicago.

Edson holds a B.A. degree in anthropology with honors from Stanford University, and received his J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from The University of Chicago. He was selected as a Henry Luce Scholar and worked on The Japan Times in Tokyo. He is married and has two young daughters.