Peter Greer

Peter Keith Greer (born 1955) is a Christian advocate for those living in poverty, an author, and the president and CEO of HOPE International, a global faith-based microfinance organization based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, serving entrepreneurs throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. Greer and his wife, Laurel, have three children and live in Landisville, Pennsylvania.[1]

Biography

Greer was raised in Carlisle, Massachusetts, graduating from Concord-Carlisle High School (1993). He is a graduate of Messiah College (B.S., 1997) and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government (M.P.P., 2004). While traveling to Russia through Messiah’s International Business Institute, Greer was first introduced to microfinance and "quickly recognized it as a perfect opportunity to combine my interests in business and missions."[2]

Upon graduation, Greer spent two years in the business sector before World Relief hired him to work as a microfinance adviser in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He also served as a technical adviser for Self-Help Development Foundation (CARE Zimbabwe) in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.[3] In 1999, he became the managing director for URWEGO Community Bank in Kigali, Rwanda, managing there for three years. After gaining experience in microfinance, he attended Harvard University, focusing one of his research projects on HOPE International’s work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.[4]

In 2004, Jeff Rutt, founder of HOPE International, invited Greer to take leadership of the non-profit.[5] Under Greer’s leadership and Jeff Rutt's help, HOPE has expanded from having a presence in two countries, with an operating budget of $1.2 million to being in 16 countries, with an operating budget of $17.4 million in 2015.[6] He has emphasized HOPE's partnerships with the local and global church as well as initiated HOPE's four distinctives: focus on microfinance, intentional witness for Christ, commitment to stewardship, and dedication to the hard places around the world. During his presidency, he co-founded the HOPE Global-Investment Fund in September 2008 with the intention of raising $6 million in private investments.[7]

Role in international development

As an advocate for the Church’s role in missions and alleviating extreme poverty, Greer has been a speaker at a number of conferences, and he has been featured by Christianity Today, World, Forbes, CNN, and RELEVANT.

Currently, Peter serves as the entrepreneur-in-residence at Messiah College and as a Praxis Venture Partner.

Books
gollark: My lawyer says to say I wrote #5.
gollark: Too late, I memorized all Python documentation.
gollark: Also Haskell.
gollark: I should also learn C, and Java.
gollark: I should learn Python so that I can understand the cool Python submissions.

References
  1. "About HOPE: Leadership". HOPE International. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  2. "Alum uses microfinance to battle poverty". Story Link. Messiah College. September 2, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  3. Greer, Peter; Smith, Phil. The Poor Will Be Glad: Joining the Revolution to Lift the World out of Poverty. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009.
  4. Strausbaugh, Judy A. "Greer brings his passion for economic aid to HOPE." Lancaster Sunday News. December 5, 2004: B5.
  5. "The Keystone Difference". Keystone Custom Homes. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  6. "HOPE International 2015 Annual Report" (PDF). HOPE International. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  7. Walker, Ken (December 17, 2008). "Microfinance, Now More Micro". Christianity Today. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
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