World Food Program USA. Washington D.C, 501(c)(3) organization, Washington, District of Columbia: Barron Segar, President & CEO

An essay of up to 650 words

• Under Barron’s leadership, World Food Program USA earned the coveted four-star Charity Navigator rating, meaning it is among the top 2% of all nonprofits by “exceeding industry standards and outperforming most charities in its cause.” The organization also received the Platinum Seal from Candid/GuideStar, demonstrating the highest commitment to transparency.  
• Barron led World Food Program USA to tremendous growth, more than doubling its revenue since 2021, to reach $170 million by October 2022.   
• In 2022, Barron elevated investments from key partners through personal stewardship that resulted in $32 million from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the largest donation in World Food Program USA history and The Church’s largest donation ever to a humanitarian organization), $25 million from Epic Games, $10 million from Cargill, among others.  
• Barron worked with artist Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye to launch the XO Humanitarian Fund in March 2022 to help feed people on the brink of famine. Funds were raised through a personal donation from The Weeknd, $1 per ticket sold from his "After Hours Til Dawn" stadium tour and proceeds from exclusive merchandise sales donated to the Fund, and tour partner donations (including $2 million from Binance). By November, the Fund earned $5 million in funds raised and pledge, with the first tranche supporting families in Ethiopia.   
• In March of 2022, Barron guided the team to begin fundraising in support of the U.N. World Food Programme’s emergency response to the Ukraine war, generating $30 million. As part of this effort, Barron visited the Ukraine/Poland border to experience operations on the ground and share the impact of work with high-profile donors. 
• Barron’s team helped secure Congressional passage of the largest Federal humanitarian aid package in U.S. history. This provided $5 billion to humanitarian organizations, including the U.N. World Food Programme, for food assistance to Ukraine and countries impacted by the collateral hunger crisis. 
• Barron prioritized making World Food Program USA a “best place to work.” In 2022, after listening to staff feedback, he committed to keeping a hybrid work environment, created paid leave holidays the last Friday of every month in order to mitigate staff burnout, and closed the office every Friday for the duration of the summer. He also recognized staff achievements with a year-end bonus and continues to solicit staff feedback. A recent staff engagement survey found that 81 percent of staff are engaged or highly engaged, and 94 percent are proud to work for World Food Program USA. 

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During times of unprecedented challenges, leaders must chart an ambitious but thoughtful course. In 2022, World Food Program USA faced the world’s worst hunger crisis ever recorded, with the convergence of COVID-19, international conflicts, and a growing climate crisis. Then came the war in Ukraine, disrupting critical food supply chains and sending costs sky-high, amplifying hunger emergencies across the globe. Now, 345 million people – mothers and fathers, school children and farmers, people of all walks of life – are facing severe hunger, and 49 million are teetering on the brink of famine. Humanitarian need outpaces available funding, with the United Nations World Food Programme facing a staggering 44 percent rise in operating costs.  
 Under the leadership of President and CEO Barron Segar, World Food Program USA, met this challenge head-on by mobilizing its largest U.S. fundraising push in history. Barron set ambitious goals for his senior leadership team and staff – challenging them to find and secure new partners and platforms for fundraising, grow digital advertising and celebrity/influencer marketing and increase organizational effectiveness, all while maintaining a strong financial efficiency ratio.  
A seasoned fundraiser, Barron reenergized private sector philanthropy. With his leadership, the Development team developed high-impact partnerships with corporations and foundations that have CSR objectives strongly aligned with U.N. World Food Programme’s mission to end global hunger. Barron brought in new faces for the nonprofit’s Board of Directors, adding two new influential and strategically placed leaders to create a diverse Board that can generate new opportunities for organizational giving and partnership innovation. He also unlocked major private sector funding with grants received from a diverse range of partners, including $32 million from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the largest donation in World Food Program USA history and The Church’s largest donation ever to a humanitarian organization), $25 million from Epic Games, and $10 million from Cargill. In total, Barron led World Food Program USA to tremendous growth, more than doubling its revenue since 2021. As of October 2022, World Food Program USA has generated more than $170 million in revenue.
With Barron’s encouragement, the Marketing team invested in digital advertising, SEO and web optimization. The team also elevated brand awareness by leveraging national media moments for fundraising and positioning Barron as a trusted thought leader with key media placements (e.g., CNN, FOX News, Bloomberg TV and keynotes at major events (e.g., Reuters’s Transform Food USA, DEVEX World) to draw greater attention to the hunger crisis and bring in new donors. He also championed the appointments and activations of influential U.N. World Food Programme Goodwill Ambassadors, artist Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and award-winning chef and TV personality Chef Andrew Zimmern.  
Finally, Barron worked to ensure that the U.S. government maximized its funding options for international humanitarian food assistance programs. With Barron’s support, the Policy team launched an advocacy program that grew 13 times over in the past year and continues to activate the American public on Congressional issues impacting global hunger. This work helped secure Congressional passage of an additional $5 billion in humanitarian assistance to address growing global food security needs in Ukraine and in countries impacted by the conflict.  
During this period of tremendous growth for the organization, Barron fostered a workplace culture rooted in values of collaboration, accountability, respect, inclusivity and optimism. A recent staff engagement survey found that 81 percent of staff are engaged or highly engaged, and 94 percent are proud to work for World Food Program USA. While World Food Program USA celebrates Barron’s success for the organization, it remembers its organizational vision – A World Without Hunger – and knows that together the team helped to ensure food and aid got to women, children and men in need. Thanks to World Food Program USA's steadfast leader, the organization will continue to grow and help feed the hungriest people on the planet.