Team Members

Richard Gilmore: President/CEO

View Gilmore’s Wikipedia profile

Biography: Rick Gilmore, President/CEO, founded GIC Trade, Inc./GIC Group in 1980. He has a PhD in trade economics and extensive experience in policy analysis, trade, investment, and market research for agro-industries. Dr. Gilmore has served as an advisor to the US government in a variety of capacities, a member of private and public sector boards, a trustee of international companies and regulatory agencies in the US and Canada, and is an author of books and articles as well as a media commentator on global agricultural issues. Prior to founding the GIC Group, Gilmore was project director for food policies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Rockefeller Foundation fellow, director of food policy at the Overseas Development Council, and staff member at the Rand Corporation.

Education:

  • Ph.D., International Economics/Trade, Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva, Switzerland, 1971, Fulbright Fellow.
  • M.A., International and Development Economics, Johns Hopkins University, Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Washington, DC, 1967.
  • Post Graduate: Rockefeller Fellow, Visiting Fellow – Rand Corp. and Overseas Development Council.

Christopher Hansen: Director, Latin American Business Development

Biography: Dr. Hansen oversees GIC’s business activities for Latin America. His duties consist of market research and analysis for GIC Consulting Services and financial analysis and investment valuation for GIC Financial Services. Mr. Hansen also manages the marketing and technical assistance components for export promotion to Latin America.

Education:

  • MBA, International Finance, University of California, Berkeley.
  • B.A, Political Science, University of California, Berkeley.
  • Pre-Law, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon

Albert A. George II: Director, Carbon Services

Biography: Mr. George is Co-Founder of the Amazon Reforestation Project (ARP) and Founder of the GA Green Economy Summit in Georgia. He previously was Director of Education for Georgia Aquarium Inc., Management Consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton, and Research Associate for the Center for Marine Environmental Science and Biotechnology. The Amazon Reforestation Project, Inc. is a registered carbon offset project of the American Carbon Registry (ACR).

Education:

  • M.S. , Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Master of Public Policy, Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government/MIT.
  • P.R.E.P. Program at Yale University concentrating in physiology cellular molecular genetics
  • B.S., Marine Biology and Chemistry, Savannah State University.

Juan Penaherrera: Director of Research/B2B Latin America

Biography: Juan serves as Special Assistant for GIC’s work on private sector investment in innovative technologies that advance global food security. His other responsibilities center on public sector contracting, product launches, marketing, and advanced research and analysis. Mr. Penaherrera has private and public sector experience and is a specialist in value chain analysis. His current responsibilities at GIC include the coordination of all research and data services and the leadership role in launching GIC’s new B2B Latin America investment service.

Education:

  • M.S. in Agricultural Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
  • Economist, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador.

Yao Yuan: secretary general, gfsf/china
 

Dimitry V. Potapenko: Ag Economist/Senior Russian Specialist

Biography: Dimitry Potapenko is the Managing Partner of Agroinvestservice, a company providing advisory and consulting services to the Russia agricultural sector, primarily the grain industry, or investors seeking new business opportunities in Russian agriculture. Prior to this position, Mr. Potapenko was the strategic investment director of an agricultural holding with land bank and CEO of the agricultural branch of the leading ag holding company in Russia.

Education:

  •  Moscow State University, Department of Economics.

Anne Haycock Sansbury: Administration

Biography: Ms. Sansbury serves as Administrator for The GIC Group where her responsibilities include all aspects of office management as well as project management and liaison and billing activities for public and private sector projects. She also assists with technical editing and preparation of project documents, including investment proposals and reports.

Education:

  • Ph.D. Program, Psychology, University of Maryland, 1967-1969.
  • B.S., Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, 1965.