ARC President Kozlowski To Step Down

American Refugee Committee
Tuesday, 10 July 2001

Anthony Kozlowski, President and CEO of the American Refugee Committee, has announced that he plans to step down on his 10th anniversary with ARC in June 2002.

"In the time that I have been with ARC, I have seen it develop into one of the major players and innovators in providing humanitarian assistance," Kozlowski said. "ARC is recognized as a key partner by the U.S. government, the UN, other governments and donors.

"Most importantly, ARC is valued by the refugees, internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups we serve. This is due to the dedication, competence and total commitment of our staff on the ground and at headquarters, and the active involvement of ARC's board," he said.

"After leaving ARC as its chief executive, I plan to stay closely involved with the organization, which demonstrates on a daily basis how Americans can positively affect the lives of innocent people caught in conflict."

Carol Winslow, Chair of the ARC Board of Directors, praised Kozlowski's contributions to ARC and said the board is beginning a search for his successor, whom it hopes to identify by early 2002 to ensure a smooth transition.

"During his service to ARC, Tony has made an immeasurable contribution to the organization," Winslow said. She noted that ARC's annual budget had grown from just over $3 million in 1992 to an anticipated $26 million this year.

"When Tony joined ARC in 1992, we had a strong base of operations in Southeast Asia and a beachhead in Africa. Today, we not only continue our involvement in Southeast Asia, but have a significant presence in both East and West Africa and throughout the Balkans. Perhaps most significantly, ARC is recognized as playing a leading role in the field of humanitarian assistance.

Kozlowski joined ARC after a long career in relief work. Prior to accepting his ARC post, he served for 15 years as Executive Director of the International Council of Voluntary Agencies, a Geneva-based association of private organizations involved in humanitarian assistance and development cooperation.

He also worked for 10 years in Africa with the Ford Foundation in Tunisia and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, where he implemented programs in Sudan, Guinea-Bissau, Niger and Senegal.

Because of his interest and efforts in promoting cooperation among non-governmental organizations, particularly in the humanitarian aid field, Kozlowski was recently elected to the Executive Committee of InterAction, an association of 160 U.S. private voluntary organizations engaged in international relief and development.

"In my time remaining with ARC, I look forward to continuing to work on the organization's major ongoing programs and to seeing ARC smoothly through the transition to my successor," he said. " Later, I plan to remain active in the humanitarian assistance field, particularly in the areas of policy and program development as well as advocacy."

ARC provides services including emergency assistance, water and sanitation, primary health care, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS education, shelter repair, legal aid, resettlement, counseling and training to almost one million refugees and displaced persons in Africa, Asia and Europe.

It currently operates programs in Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia; Guinea, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Sudan; and on the Thai-Myanmar (Burma) border.

For more information, or to contact American Refugee Committee, see their website at: www.archq.org