Henrietta Holsman Fore (born December 9, 1948) is an American government official and business executive who was the executive director of

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

from 2018 until 2022. Fore is chairman and CEO of Holsman International, a management, investment, and advisory services company. She served in three presidential appointments under President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

: Fore was the first woman Administrator of the

United States Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 1961 and reorganized in 1998 ...

(USAID) and Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance, the 11th Under Secretary of Management in the Department of State, and the 37th Director of the

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury, Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bull ...

in the

U.S. Department of Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current U.S. government departments. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and ...

. She was the presidential appointee for President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

at the

Early life and education

Fore was born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. Her mother was from Switzerland. Her father served the military during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Her grandfather is turn of the century architect Henry K. Holsman, inventor of the Holsman Automobile (1902-1911). Fore grew up in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

and attended Crane Country Day School and Cold Springs School. She attended the Graham-Eckes School in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach, Florida, ...

, and graduated in 1966 from The Baldwin School, a private girls boarding school in

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr (, from Welsh language, Welsh for 'big hill') is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Pennsylvania, United States. It is located just west of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue, also known as U.S. Route 30 in Pennsylvania, U.S. ...

. In 1970, Fore received a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in history, economics, and art from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

. In 1975, she received a

M.S. A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...

in public administration from the

University of Northern Colorado The University of Northern Colorado (UNCO or UNC) is a public university in Greeley, Colorado, United States. It was founded in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado and has a long history in teacher education. The institution has offi ...

. In 1986, she studied international politics at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

Career

After college, Fore worked in the federal government. She then worked at one of her father's companies, a small manufacturing business in the steel industry, a position she held for 12 years. From 1977 to 1989, she was president and director of Stockton Wire Products in Burbank, California. From 1981 to 1989, she was president and the chairman of the board of Pozacorp, Inc. in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...

. From 2001 to 2005, Fore served as the 37th Director of the

in the

, serving Secretary of Treasury,

Paul H. O'Neill Paul Henry O'Neill (December 4, 1935 April 18, 2020) was an American businessman and government official who served as the 72nd United States secretary of the treasury for part of President George W. Bush's first term, from January 2001 until his ...

and Secretary of Treasury John W. Snow. From 2005 to 2007, Fore served as

Under Secretary of State for Management The under secretary of state for management (M) is a position within the United States Department of State that serves as principal adviser to the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state and United States Deputy Secretary of State, d ...

, the Chief Operating Officer for the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

, serving Secretary of State,

Condoleezza Rice Condoleezza "Condi" Rice ( ; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist serving since 2020 as the 8th director of Stanford University's Hoover Institution. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served ...

. From May 2007 to January 2009, Fore served as the 13th Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and Director of United States Foreign Assistance, holding the equivalent rank as

Deputy Secretary of State The deputy secretary of state of the United States is the principal deputy to the secretary of state. If the secretary of state resigns or dies, the deputy secretary of state becomes acting secretary of state until the president nominates and the ...

. In January 2018, Fore was appointed as the executive director of

by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres. As part of this position, Fore has worked in collaboration with

GAVI GAVI, officially Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (previously the GAVI Alliance, and before that the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization) is a Public–private partnership, public–private global health partnership with the goal of incr ...

, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

, among others, to facilitate vaccination to combat the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

global pandemic. Fore resigned in July 2021 to attend to her husband’s serious health issue but offered to stay on until her successor was recruited. Her successor,

Catherine M. Russell Catherine Mary Russell (born March 4, 1961) is an American attorney and political adviser who is the executive director of UNICEF . Russell was director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, United States Ambassador-at-Large for Glo ...

, assumed office on February 1, 2022. Fore is the Chairman and CEO of Holsman International; Chairman and Owner of Stockton Products and Vincenza; and Chairman and Managing Partner of Seaward International Company. She is a Mission Board Member of EQT Future Fund; Director of Imperative Care; Board Trustee of

Center for Strategic and International Studies The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. From its founding in 1962 until 1987, it was an affiliate of Georgetown University, initially named the Center for Strategic and Inte ...

(CSIS); and a Board Member of Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, co-convened by the

World Bank Group The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries. It is the largest and best-known development bank in the world and an observer at the United Nations Development Group ...

and

WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...

Personal life

Fore lives in Nevada with her husband Richard L. Fore, who has four children. She has one sister, Marta Babson. Fore is a Republican.

Selected honors

* 2022:

Emperor of Japan, Imperial Palace ''Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun'' * 2022: American Committees on Foreign Relations ''Distinguished Service Award for the Advancement of Public Discourse on Foreign Policy'' * 2020: U.S. Global Leadership Coalition ''Leadership Award'' * 2013: CRDF Global’s ''George Brown Award'' for International Scientific Cooperation * 2009:

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the ...

, Distinguished Service Award * 2005: U.S. Department of the Treasury, ''Alexander Hamilton Award'' * 1997: State of the World Forum, ''Women Redefining Leadership Award''

Selected leadership and memberships

* 2022–present: GWL Voices for Change and Inclusion (New York) * 2022–present: EQT Future Fund, Mission Board Member * 2022–present: Imperative Care, Director * 2022–present, 2009-2017: Seaward International Company, Chairman and CEO * 2022–present, 1995-2017:

(CSIS), Board Trustee * 2022–present, 1993-2017: Holsman International, Chairman and CEO * 2022–present, 1977-2017: Stockton Products, President and Director * 2020–present: Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, co-convened by the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

and

* 2018-2022: UNICEF, Executive Director * 2018-2022: Chief Executives Board of the United Nations, Secretariat for the U.N. Secretary-General NY * 2018-2022: Global Leadership Council Generation Unlimited, Co-Chair * 2018-2021: End Violence Against Children, Chair * 2016-2017: Essilor International S.A., Executive Officers & Remuneration Committee and Strategic Committee * 2015-2017: Middle East Investment Initiative, Chair of the Board of Directors * 2014-2017: Initiative for Global Development, Director, Chair * 2014-2017:

General Mills General Mills, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded ultra-processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in ...

, Governance Committee and Public Responsibility Committee * 2012-2017:

ExxonMobil Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational List of oil exploration and production companies, oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the Successors of Standard Oil, largest direct s ...

, Audit Committee and Finance Committee * 2011-2017: Center for Global Development, Director * 2010-2017:

Committee for Economic Development The Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED) is an American nonprofit and nonpartisan public policy think tank. The board of trustees consist primarily of senior corporate executives from a range of U.S. industries an ...

, Trustee * 2010-2017: Theravance Biopharma US, Inc., Chair, Nominating and Governance Committee * 2009-2015: WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation (New York), Global Co-chair * 2007-2009:

Millennium Challenge Corporation The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a bilateral United States foreign aid agency established by the U.S. Congress in 2004. It is an independent agency separate from the State Department and USAID. It provides grants to countries tha ...

, Board Member * 2007-2009:

Overseas Private Investment Corporation The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) was the United States Government's Development finance institution until it merged with the Development Credit Authority (DCA) of the United States Agency for International Development (U ...

, Board Member * 1993-2017:

Asia Society The Asia Society is a 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States (Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle) and around the world (Hong Ko ...

, Co-chair, Global Board of Directors * 1993-2017:

The Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., but also has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, its original home. Its stated miss ...

, Board Trustee * 1993-2017: Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP), Board Member * 1987-1989: Water Quality Management, Board Member * 1987:

Stanford Graduate School of Business The Stanford Graduate School of Business is the Postgraduate education, graduate business school of Stanford University, a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California. For several years it has been the most selective ...

, Board Governance * 1981-1989: Pozacorp, Inc., Chairman of the Board *

American Academy of Diplomacy The American Academy of Diplomacy is a private, nonprofit, non-partisan, elected organization whose active membership is limited to men and women who have held positions of high responsibility in crafting and implementing American foreign policy. ...

, Member * American Leadership for a WaterSecure World Campaign Cabinet, Member * Chief Executives Organization, Member *

Committee of 200 A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

, Member *

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...

, Member *

Economic Club of New York The Economic Club of New York is a U.S. nonprofit and non-partisan membership organization dedicated to promoting the study and discussion of social, economic and political questions. History Founded in 1907, the Economic Club of New York is ...

, Member *

International Women's Forum The International Women's Forum (IWF), founded in 1974 as the Women's Forum of New York, is an invitation-only women's organization with some 7,800 members. Its mission is "to support the women leaders of today and tomorrow". The IWF hosts two co ...

, Member * Wellesley College Business Leadership Council, Member * YPO/WPO, Member

Selected works and publications

* * * *

References

External links

USAID biography

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fore, Henrietta H. 1948 births Living people 21st-century American women Administrators of the United States Agency for International Development Directors of ExxonMobil Directors of the United States Mint Women diplomats for the United States Diplomats for the United States George W. Bush administration personnel The Baldwin School alumni UNICEF people United States Department of State officials University of Northern Colorado alumni Wellesley College alumni Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun