Judith Hermanson is the President and CEO of IHC Global (formerly the International Housing Coalition) a global membership coalition for education, awareness and advocacy focused on the challenges of rapid urban growth and urban inequality. With 30 years of international experience in both the development and humanitarian space, her sector specialty is housing and urban development. Her expertise includes community-based development, participatory approaches and civic engagement, gender and equity, and program design and effectiveness.
Judith has held key leadership roles in two influential US-based non-profits working internationally (INGOs). Prior to joining IHC Global, she was the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), an affiliate of the Organization of American States (OAS), where she was responsible both for management oversight of headquarters and field operations and for developing and executing PADF’s five-year strategic plan with its $350 million resource mobilization goal. Previously, Judith was the Executive Vice President of CHF International for 20+ years (now Global Communities), responsible for its impact strategy and playing a key role in its growth from an annual budget $2.5 million budget to a budget of $400 million with impact in 30+ countries worldwide; she managed its growth and was instrumental in designing a diverse program portfolio working at the local project and national policy levels. Judith was proud to receive the NAHRO John D. Lange International Award for achievement of demonstrated results in international development, in Eastern Europe and the Middle East and a Special Recognition Award from CHF’s Board of Trustees.
Between her work at CHF International and PADF, Judith was a tenured professor of public administration at Northern Illinois University, specializing in the non-profit sector, and was also Inaugural Director of the NGOLD (NGO Leadership and Development) Center, gaining accreditation for its programs as a degree-granting, inter-disciplinary center for the study of non-profits and civic engagement (now one of largest majors!). Prior positions include: Senior Fellow for Urban Poverty at InterAction, Director of the Office of Policy and Program Evaluation, (Office of the Assistant Secretary for Consumer Affairs and Regulatory Functions) at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development; Director of the Peace Corps’ Africa Office of Programs and Training; and Associate Peace Corps Director in both Uganda and the Philippines. She has carried out short term technical assistance assignments in 50+ countries in all geographic regions, has published frequently on international development issues, including urban development, and presented her independent research with an emphasis on linking policy and practice both internationally and domestically. She is a current member of the Board of Directors of iDE (a social enterprise) and the American University of Paris (immediate past chair) and has served on the boards of several international microfinance and humanitarian organizations as well as on USAID’s Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Assistance (ACVFA).
Elected to Phi Beta Kappa, Judith received her undergraduate degree with high honors from Smith College and her PhD from The George Washington University. She received an honorary doctorate from the American University of Paris in 2014 for her services to international education and development.