Jim Winkler elected to Board of Directors for Corporate Council on Africa

April 08, 2016

Senior Trade and Investment Advisor Jim Winkler has been elected to the Board of Directors for the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), a nonprofit, membership-based organization that promotes business and investment between the U.S. and African countries.

“I am excited to join the board at a time when the council is exploring innovative ways to expand its membership to include U.S. and African small and medium enterprises and to support broad-based economic growth in Africa,” he said. “CCA is considered the premier business organization representing the U.S. private sector to promote trade and investment in Africa. With more than 180 of the largest and most influential U.S. companies operating in Africa in its membership, CCA has built a reputation based on integrity and trusted relationships with African political and business leaders, African institutions, and U.S. government agencies.”

Winkler has been with DAI for more than 25 years, specializing in private sector development, international trade, economic growth, competitiveness, and governance. Recently, he played a key role in managing the East Africa Trade and Investment Hub, which focuses on enhancing private sector engagement with governments in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Winkler’s expertise will be equally central to DAI’s upcoming Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub project, which will work to commercialize value chains to compete in regional and global markets.

“I look forward to bringing DAI’s 45 years of experience in Africa and our current large portfolio of trade projects in East and Southern Africa, as well as our work with African business organizations, public-private partnerships, and multinational firms to the board,” Winkler said. “Our work to leverage the African Growth and Opportunity Act to benefit African and U.S. business will be particularly relevant to CCA’s work and its membership.”

Winkler serves on the Board of Directors of the American University of Mongolia, holds a Ph.D. in international relations from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and served as a small business advisor in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica.