Daniel Wordsworth, former CEO of US refugee support organisation Alight, has been named as the next CEO of World Vision Australia.
Wordsworth, 54, who was born in Tamworth but has spent the past 25 years working in conflict hotspots around the world – the last 12 with Alight, said in a statement released by World Vision that he felt “compelled and called” to work with World Vision.
Daniel Wordsworth, who has been appointed new CEO of World Vision Australia.
“We can look in the news and see what is supposedly wrong in the world, but after having worked in what some people would call the worst places in the world, I can tell you there are many more good people in those places than bad,” he said.
“Each time something happens in those places, there are hundreds of people rushing to actually help and get people back on their feet, so the World Vision story is actually one of an amazing world, of a beautiful world and a world full of people doing good things. Our job is to connect Aussies to that spirit.”
Wordsworth will replace acting CEO Graham Strong, who took over the role following the resignation of Claire Rogers in March this year.
Shannon Adams, chair of the board of World Vision Australia, described Wordsworth as a “globally experienced missional leader who had been shaped by the powerful message of faith, hope and love and is anchored by his Christian faith”.
“Daniel is a gifted and capable leader who has the rare talent of combining extensive and authentic humanitarian experience with the astute management of organisations,” he said in a statement.
“He has an impressive track record in leading and equipping organisations and empowering them to do more in the field. We are certain that Daniel will drive World Vision’s ongoing evolution as a modern organisation, well equipped to meet those challenges.”
Wordsworth has said his upbringing in a rural environment in the state of New South Wales has shaped his attitude when trying to help people.
“I have lived through droughts,” he said in published comments. “I grew up on a farm, experienced severe water shortages and saw families around me really struggling.”
Wordsworth says it was while he was an officer cadet in that Royal Australian Navy that he experienced a “calling” from God to serve the poor. This has included helping homeless people in Kings Cross, Sydney as well as leading teams in places such as Afghanistan, Somalia, El Salvador and refugee camps around the world.
At Minnesota-based Alight, an organisation formerly known as the American Refugee Committee which provided healthcare, clean water, shelter, protection and economic opportunity to more than 2.5 million people in 15 countries each year, Wordsworth was involved in responding to crises involving the Rohingya people in Myanmar, migrants in Latin America and in war-ravaged Syria.
