In his role of Executive Director, Jeff is primarily responsible for identification of partners, development of projects, and financial oversight during operations. Additionally, he assists each partner to create or expand on existing local for-profit business enterprises that will contribute to the project’s long term sustainability.

Prior to joining the Hovde Foundation in 2009, Jeff worked for AES Corp’s Climate Change group, leading business development efforts in the Andean region for carbon offset projects.  He focused largely on Colombia, a country very dear to his heart and where he served on the advisory board of Ahmsa Colombia—a NGO that offers job training, economic development opportunities, and relief services to internally displaced people (including former child soldiers) from the country’s armed conflict.   Also with AES (a large US-based power company) a decade earlier, Jeff lived in the Dominican Republic where he led local business development efforts towards the installation of a US$500 million power plant and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) import facility, the country’s first and largest such project.  Between stints at AES, Jeff served as Vice President of Business Development for Latin America & Caribbean for TIV, a hotel industry consultancy.

An avid fan of Latin America and passionate about social justice, Jeff has leveraged his professional experiences in the private sector to contribute to social causes.  While working for AES and TIV over four years in the Dominican Republic, he helped launch a home for street children that now serves 40 children.  In 2004, he assisted International Justice Mission (IJM) with an undercover investigation on trafficking of children in the Dominican Republic’s sex tourism 'industry', which resulted in the country’s first arrest and conviction for such crimes. During the trial, he received his first (and only) death threat to date.

Jeff has volunteered with various humanitarian organizations throughout Latin America such as IJM, TechServe International, Prison Fellowship International, Bridge Builders, Young Life, and the Christian Medical and Dental Society.   A graduate of Messiah College with a BS in International Business/Spanish, Jeff earned an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in 2003.