Ted Howard is the founding Executive Director of The Democracy Collaborative at the University of Maryland, a position he has held since 2000. The Collaborative is a national leader in the fast growing field of community wealth building strategies and policy development.

For the past three decades, Mr. Howard has worked in the not-for-profit/civil society sector, including more than 15 years in international development with NGOs and agencies of the UN system. Most recently, he was the Executive Director of the National Center for Economic Alternatives, a research and policy institute. Prior to that, he was Global Communications Director and Chief Operating Office of The Hunger Project, an international NGO.

He is author or co-author of several books, including “Ending Hunger,” “Entropy,” and “Who Should Play God?” His most recent reports on community development include “Linking Colleges to Communities: Engaging the University for Community Development” and “Building Wealth: The New Asset-Based Approach to Solving Social and Economic Problems.” His articles have appeared in numerous publications, most recently The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Shelterforce, The Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, and Yes!

From 1998 to 2007, he served as chairman of the board of Search for Common Ground, the world’s largest conflict resolution NGO. He is currently board chair of Blue Frontier, an environmental advocacy organization committed to saving America’s living oceans.