ANERA NAMES NEW COUNTRY DIRECTOR FOR WEST BANK/GAZA

ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid) is pleased to announce that Paul Butler has joined the organization as country director, based in Jerusalem. Butler is a veteran development professional with a solid working experience in the Middle East. Butler will supervise more than 60 staff and provide overall leadership in ANERAs activities throughout the West Bank and Gaza, including health and education services, sustainable community development, water rehabilitation and agriculture, microfinance as well as emergency relief and medical aid. Before joining ANERA, Butler served as regional director for the Middle East and Caucasus for Bridging the Divide, developing programs in Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt. He also served as country director for Mercy Corps and Catholic Relief Services in Iraq, West Bank/Gaza and India and as a program manager and assistant country representative in the Balkans and West Bank/Gaza. He successfully managed multi-million dollar USAID grants and initiatives aimed at improving vital infrastructure networks, rehabilitating schools and supporting community development groups in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as Iraq. Earlier in his career, Butler directed the Gaza office of Catholic Relief Services in 1998 and also led CRS emergency relief operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2001. Pauls knowledge of Arabic and his deep understanding of Palestinian culture from his hands-on experience living and working in Gaza and the West Bank are valuable assets for ANERA, said ANERA President Bill Corcoran. We are looking forward to his strong and thoughtful leadership of ANERAs team there. Paul Butler graduated from Georgetown University and earned a M.A. from University of California, Berkeley in political science and a M.A. from Harvard in public policy with a concentration in development economics and finance. Since 1968, ANERA has been a leading provider of development programs in health, education and job creation in communities throughout the Middle East. In 2010 alone, ANERA delivered more than $48 million for programs in Gaza, West Bank, Lebanon and Jordan. For more information, please contact Laurie Kassman, Media Relations: 202 842 2766 ext 24 or lkassman@anera.org or visit our website: www.anera.org