Isaac Bekalo 

SENIOR ADVISOR

Born in Ethiopia, Isaac Bekalo has over thirty years of practical and professional experience in community and organizational development, management and leadership. His main expertise includes organizational and community visioning; food security, nutrition, and environmental protection; strategy formulation; organizational management and strategic leadership; organizational diagnoses and restructuring; business plan development; monitoring & evaluation; and facilitation of regional and global forums. Isaac has led several organizational and project evaluations. Examples of organizations that have utilized Isaac’s services include: Plan International, FAO, UNICEF, Concern Worldwide, GLTN, Care International, Cordaid, the Norwegian Embassy in Ethiopia and Tanzania, SNV, Oxfam UK and Canada, FHI, CRS and many others. 

At the field level, Isaac has successfully piloted and developed education programs, as well as market-driven food security and community managed disaster risk reduction programs in the horn of Africa. The most successful of the three themes has been an integrated livelihood and education program for pastoralist and marginalized communities in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan. 

For many African organizations and The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), Isaac has successfully led strategic and business plans development and designed roadmap and tools for gender and organizational audits, and trained hundreds of development workers. He has also co-developed and led an innovative documentation program known as “write-shops” (a participatory writing methodology which brings together researchers, academics, farmers, and other community leaders) for which IIRR is globally recognized. Isaac has personally led production of over 90 publications (field guides, tool kits, manuals, best practices, and others) that IIRR has published in collaboration with numerous development organizations. 

Isaac holds a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Organizational Development and Planning. In addition to his long service as development worker; Isaac has served as a classroom teacher and lecturer, as well as Coordinator of Graduate Research Programs in the Adventist University of the Philippines. 

Isaac joined the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) in September 1989 as the Africa Regional Director and was elevated as its 6th President in January 2009. He retired in September of 2019 with the title of Life President. Currently Isaac holds a Senior Advisor position for IIRR programs in Africa and worldwide as needed.