A former journalist and aid worker, Challiss McDonough specializes in communicating effectively and clearly on complex subjects, particularly food security, nutrition, health and agriculture.
During a career spanning more than 25 years, Challiss has lived in Kenya, Afghanistan, Egypt and South Africa, and has worked in more than 40 countries on four continents.
She has witnessed two famines and half a dozen food crises -- some driven by drought and climate change, some by poor governance, poverty and lack of infrastructure, others predominantly fueled by conflict, still others by high food prices. In each case, she saw the way families struggled to put food on the table, and witnessed the heroic efforts parents will make to provide for their children against overwhelming odds.
Challiss attended public schools and universities in Virginia, California and North Carolina. She now lives in Portland, Oregon.
Her first name rhymes with Alice.