IRD Announces New Director of Food Security and New Cambodia Country Director

Washington, DC — June 19, 2007 — IRD announced today that Thoric Cederström has joined its global headquarters staff as Director of Food Security, bringing total staff for the Arlington-based NGO to 70 people. In addition, IRD added new Country Director for Cambodia Sandy Sempliner to its growing international staff of more than 2000. Combined, the two men add more than 30 years in development experience.

“Thoric and Sandy both bring a wealth of operations and program experience to International Relief and Development,” said Dr. Arthur Keys, president and CEO of IRD. “Their dedication to improving lives and building livelihoods is reflected in their work, and IRD is strengthened by them coming aboard.”

New Director of Food Security Programs

As Director of Food Security, Cederström is responsible for overseeing successful programs like Better Foods for Better Lives, which is in its seventh year of facilitating local production of soy-enriched fortified rice and wheat noodles in two countries.  The program distributes food products to school children and also provides income to adults who work at the facilities.  Cederström will also be working to expand and develop programs in Africa, with a focus on Sudan, Chad, Kenya and Niger.

“I am ready to roll up my sleeves and start working with some of the finest professionals in food security,” said Cederström.

Cederström joins IRD from Counterpart International, where he was Vice President of the Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture Division and the Global Health and Nutrition Programs.  He has his Ph.D. in Development Anthropology & Agricultural/Natural Resources Economics from the University of Arizona in Tucson and is an adjunct professor at University of Maryland – College Park in the Department of Anthropology. 

New Cambodia Country Director

Sempliner will operate out of IRD’s office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia where IRD has had a presence for two years. The Better Foods for Better Lives program has been highly successful in Cambodia, and Sempliner will build off of the local success while creating new programs in health and economic development regionally.

Sempliner previously worked as Indonesia country director for a British NGO dedicated to malaria and dengue fever control and prevention. While there he directed the transition from emergency operations to long-term development interventions, as well as developing programs in Yogyakarta in response to last year’s earthquake.

“IRD has a reputation of taking on difficult development projects. The field personnel have done a first rate job with their programs, and I am keen to get to Cambodia and start working with them,” said Sempliner.

Founded in 1998 by Dr. Arthur B. Keys, Jr., IRD is a charitable, non-profit, non-governmental organization whose mission is to reduce the suffering of the world’s most vulnerable groups and provide tools and resources needed to increase their self-sufficiency.

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