John McPhail (Meet the President)

John brings 25 years of leadership experience at nonprofit organizations across the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean.

 

“I am inspired by Partners’ 50+ year commitment to building partnerships for economic development, health, global citizenship, and education throughout the United States and Latin America; a region I consider home. I am excited and honored to lead Partners of the Americas and build on the organization’s strong legacy.”

 

John is a seasoned expert in partnership building, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement. He is passionate about community development in Latin America and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador. After his service, he remained in the country for a total of fifteen years, marrying a Salvadoran doctor and raising their three daughters.

 

John brings significant experience as a country and regional director for multiple international nonprofits. He has held leadership positions on the Boards of numerous local nonprofits and associations in the U.S. and Central America, providing operational and strategic direction. He coordinated or co-coordinated multiple national and regional networks in Central America in health, water & sanitation and agriculture/food security. John received a BSc in Civil Engineering from MIT and a Master’s in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois / Urbana-Champaign. He is fluent in Spanish and has a working knowledge of French.

 

John enjoys listening to music, reading, playing volleyball and frisbee, and spending time with his family.