Barron Segar is the President and CEO of World Food Program USA, the nonprofit charged with inspiring and mobilizing people in the United States to support the mission of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to feed the world’s hungriest people. He has more than 20 years of experience growing philanthropic and cause marketing platforms for organizations spanning global humanitarian aid, public broadcasting and finance.
As President and CEO, Barron leads an integrated portfolio spanning Development, Marketing and Communications, Public Policy and Operations. He has aligned these functions into a unified effort to raise resources, expand awareness, and strengthen support for WFP’s life-saving work. Under his leadership, World Food Program USA quadrupled its revenue in fewer than three years while working closely with the Board of Directors to create strategy, inform policy and drive sustainable growth. World Food Program USA has earned top scores for its financial health, accountability and transparency.
For the past five years, The NonProfit Times has recognized Barron on its Power & Influence Top 50 list for leadership centered on innovation, broad sector influence and developing replicable organizational models. A leading voice on global food security, Barron has been featured in media outlets including Bloomberg TV, NBC News Now, CNN, MSNBC, Forbes, The Guardian and The Chronicle of Philanthropy and at events hosted by Reuters, Devex, Axios, CES, Food Tank, Climate Week NYC, Association of Fundraising Professionals and The Global Philanthropy Forum, among others. He has also led visits to field operations in Senegal, Lebanon, Liberia, El Salvador, Jordan and the Polish border of Ukraine to shine a light on WFP’s life-saving work.
Prior to World Food Program USA, Barron served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer at UNICEF USA, with organization-wide responsibility for strategy, budget and critical operational priorities, raising $500 million in annual revenue. Previously, Barron served as the Director of Development for Georgia Public Broadcasting, where he and his team were nationally recognized for record-breaking fundraising performance. Barron also has experience in the private sector working in financial services.
Barron was a Founding Executive Board Member at the Elton John AIDS Foundation, serving over 30 years on the National Board of Directors. He currently serves on the Advisory Board for Open Hand Atlanta and Board of Directors for The Nonprofit Alliance. He is a member of The Economic Club of Washington, DC and an alumnus of both Leadership Greater Washington and Leadership Atlanta. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Hampden-Sydney College.