Arlington, Virginia (January 30, 2012) — A distinguished futurist and writer has been elected to the Board of Directors of Counterpart International, the non-profit dedicated to sustainable global development. counterpart17.wpengine.com

Eric Meade, who was unanimously elected to a two-year term, is vice president and senior futurist at the Institute for Alternative Futures, a non-profit research and education organization founded in 1977 by Clem Bezold, Alvin Toffler and Jim Dator. He resides in the Washington, D.C. area. counterpart17.wpengine.com

“Eric’s wealth of experience in international business, his keen understanding of strategy and commitment to Counterpart’s principles will be valuable to the organization and the communities it works with,” says Board Chairman Jeffrey T. LaRiche, President & CEO at CASTLE Worldwide in Morrisville, N.C.

Meade provides a variety of facilitation and futurist consulting services for government agencies, non-profits, and foundations. His recent work includes the development of scenarios of the future of primary care in 2025 for the Kresge Foundation, as well as scenarios of vulnerability in the U.S. in 2030 for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Previously, Meade worked as a business executive and entrepreneur in Asia, where he set up the China sourcing operation of Melissa & Doug, Inc., a major U.S. toy manufacturer. He speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese and has a deep understanding of Chinese culture and business practices. He also served for five years as a nuclear submarine officer in the U.S. Navy.

Meade has a Master’s in Business Administration from INSEAD and a Bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Virginia, where he graduated magna cum laude. He is a member of the World Future Society and the Association of Professional Futurists.

For more information:
Michael J. Zamba
Director of Communications
Counterpart International
(703) 236-4324
mzamba@counterpart.org

Counterpart International helps people build better lives and more durable futures, community by community. For 50 years, Counterpart has been an innovator, changing the way people look at, and solve, global development challenges. Today, we are working with more than 3,500 local organizations, and more than 150,000 leaders — including women and youth — in 24 countries around the world. Learn more atcounterpart17.wpengine.com.