James Dawson passed away in December 2003
His obituary can be found Here.

Before coming to CIE, ‘JD’ as he liked to be called, was a civil rights activist fighting injustice in America and a union organizer fighting for the rights of blue-collar workers.

His first international experience was as a PCV in Maharashtra, India. There he helped establish a poultry project and a community library. After completing his service with the Peace Corps, he moved to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands where he managed businesses and organizations for eight years.

After his studies at UMass, he joined the Foreign Service and returned to the Peace Corps first as the Country Director in the Fiji Islands and subsequently as the Country Director in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. JD then went on to become the Overseas Director for Oxfam America in Boston, working on programs in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Americas.

He then moved to the corporate sector where he served as Vice President and International Market Development Director for American Breeders Services (ABS) in DeForest, Wisconsin. This position provided opportunities for him to experience the life and cultures of several countries in Eastern Europe and China.

JD next became the Chief of Party of the Agro-based Industries and Technology Development Project (ATDP), a Louis Berger Economic Development Project between USAID and the government of Bangladesh. Under his leadership, ATDP provided technical assistance to agro-businesses and introduced agri-business initiatives including Shrimp Seal of Quality, Agriprenuer Competition and Agribusiness MBA program with AIUB.

During his career JD also served on the board of directors of TechnoServe, the Boston chapter of the Global Affairs Council, the Corporate Council for Africa, the Governor's International Trade Council of Wisconsin, the Emerging Markets Committee of the US Department of Agriculture and President Clinton's Council for Egypt.[2-24]