Howard Warren Buffett
Encyclopedia
Howard Warren Buffett is the executive director of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, a private philanthropic foundation that funds initiatives aimed at improving the standard of living and quality of life for the world’s most impoverished and marginalized populations. He previously served as the director of agriculture development for the Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO) at the United States Department of Defense
, and as a policy advisor in the Executive Office of the President of the United States
under President Barack Obama
.
Prior to joining the White House
, Buffett served as a special assistant at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as a member of the Obama-Biden Transition Project, and as director of National Surrogate Radio for Obama for America.
, to farmer and philanthropist Howard Graham Buffett
. He is a grandson of famed American investor and philanthropist Warren Edward Buffett. Raised in Omaha, he attended Ponca Elementary School before moving to Decatur, Illinois
, where he attended Mt. Zion High School and was elected president of the local chapter of the National FFA Organization
.
He completed his undergraduate studies in political science and communications studies at Northwestern University
in Evanston, Illinois
, where he also served as the student body vice president. He went on to receive a master of public administration
in advanced management and finance at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University.
He is married to Lili Thomas Buffett. They split their time between Omaha, Nebraska, and Decatur, Illinois.
In his speech at the summit, Buffett referred to Learning by Giving as the first step in the implementation of the Social Value Investment model: ""Learning by Giving is an example of how a small change in the traditional paradigm can transform an entire sector: By simply empowering students to become problem solvers in their own communities, we maximize the impact of our efforts, encourage innovation, and inspire life-long engagements with philanthropy."
, where he served as a special assistant in the Office of the Secretary. There, he managed the national expansion strategy for the Department’s $480 million Cooperative Extension Service
program. Additionally, he was charged with identifying strategic external partnerships aimed at advancing the core mission areas of research, education, and economics. He also served on the five-year Strategic Planning Initiative, and represented the department in the White House
Innovation and Information Policy Working Group.
Upon completion of his service at the Department of Agriculture, Buffett served as a policy advisor in the Executive Office of the President of the United States
at the White House
, where he was responsible for the Cross-Sector Partnerships portfolio. In this role, he directed strategy development for cross-sector partnerships and innovation strategies aimed at enhancing collaboration between the White House, federal departments, agencies, corporations, nonprofits and foundations.
After leaving the White House
, Buffett became the director of agriculture development at the Task Force for Business Stability Operations under the U.S. Department of Defense, where he was tasked with designing and implementing a strategy for agricultural development in Afghanistan and Iraq.
At the conference, the United States Department of Energy
and the Small Business Administration
jointly announced that both the Small Business Investment Company program and the Small Business Technology Transfer program would begin using their existing funding networks to promote small green energy firms through a new $60 million Business Clean Energy Innovation Fund. The event also served as the launch vehicle for the Regional Energy Innovation Conferences.
The first Regional Energy Innovation Conference was hosted in Omaha, Nebraska
on June 17, 2010. The event focused on connecting entrepreneurs and small enterprise with representatives from organizations across sectors and was itself a partnership between the City of Omaha, The Gallup Organization
, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Over one hundred local, regional, and national organizations were represented at Gallup University’s Omaha Campus to discuss issues ranging from regional gap funding and human capital needs to collaboration and the early adoption of energy innovation.
, and on the boards of New York Needs You and the Clark and Hinman Foundation. Additionally, he has served as an advisor to both the United Nations Office for Partnerships
and the FEED Foundation.
He has also served as a judge for the Collaboration Prize, the American Express
2009 NGen Fellows Program, and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship’s business plan competitions.
He is an active member of the Nebraska Society and a lifetime alumni member of the Future Farmers of America(FFA
).
.
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
, and as a policy advisor in the Executive Office of the President of the United States
Executive Office of the President of the United States
The Executive Office of the President consists of the immediate staff of the President of the United States, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting to the President. The EOP is headed by the White House Chief of Staff, currently William M. Daley...
under President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
Prior to joining the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, Buffett served as a special assistant at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as a member of the Obama-Biden Transition Project, and as director of National Surrogate Radio for Obama for America.
Personal life and education
Buffett was born in Omaha, NebraskaOmaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, to farmer and philanthropist Howard Graham Buffett
Howard Graham Buffett
Howard Graham Buffett is an American philanthropist, photographer, and farmer. He is the eldest son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett. He is named after Howard Buffett, his grandfather, and Benjamin Graham, Warren Buffett's teacher.-Personal life:Howard G...
. He is a grandson of famed American investor and philanthropist Warren Edward Buffett. Raised in Omaha, he attended Ponca Elementary School before moving to Decatur, Illinois
Decatur, Illinois
Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...
, where he attended Mt. Zion High School and was elected president of the local chapter of the National FFA Organization
National FFA Organization
The National FFA Organization is an American youth organization known as a Career and Technical Student Organization, based on middle and high school classes that promote and support agricultural education...
.
He completed his undergraduate studies in political science and communications studies at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
, where he also served as the student body vice president. He went on to receive a master of public administration
Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration is a professional post-graduate degree in Public Administration. The MPA program prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly in nongovernmental organization and...
in advanced management and finance at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University.
He is married to Lili Thomas Buffett. They split their time between Omaha, Nebraska, and Decatur, Illinois.
Philanthropy
Buffett currently serves as the executive director of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, a private family foundation focused on improving the standard of living and quality of life for the world’s most impoverished and marginalized populations. He has traveled to over 60 countries, often engaged in the humanitarian and agriculture development efforts of the Foundation.Social Value Investing
At the 2011 Social Good Summit in New York, Buffet introduced the concept of "Social Value Investing." Billed as a new paradigm for philanthropic engagement, the approach is premised on "[tackling] entire social problems (like food security or breast cancer) by systematically lining up nonprofits to tackle each part of the causal chain, from federal policy to victim resources."Learning by Giving
At the same summit, Buffett announced a five million dollar endowment from his aunt, Doris Buffett, to the Learning by Giving Foundation (http://learningbygivingfoundation.org), an organization that partners with universities to create classes in philanthropy studies and donates $10,000 to be given by the students in each class.In his speech at the summit, Buffett referred to Learning by Giving as the first step in the implementation of the Social Value Investment model: ""Learning by Giving is an example of how a small change in the traditional paradigm can transform an entire sector: By simply empowering students to become problem solvers in their own communities, we maximize the impact of our efforts, encourage innovation, and inspire life-long engagements with philanthropy."
Public service
In 2009, Buffett was appointed to the United States Department of AgricultureUnited States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
, where he served as a special assistant in the Office of the Secretary. There, he managed the national expansion strategy for the Department’s $480 million Cooperative Extension Service
Cooperative extension service
The Cooperative Extension Service, also known as the Extension Service of the USDA, is a non-formal educational program implemented in the United States designed to help people use research-based knowledge to improve their lives. The service is provided by the state's designated land-grant...
program. Additionally, he was charged with identifying strategic external partnerships aimed at advancing the core mission areas of research, education, and economics. He also served on the five-year Strategic Planning Initiative, and represented the department in the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
Innovation and Information Policy Working Group.
Upon completion of his service at the Department of Agriculture, Buffett served as a policy advisor in the Executive Office of the President of the United States
Executive Office of the President of the United States
The Executive Office of the President consists of the immediate staff of the President of the United States, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting to the President. The EOP is headed by the White House Chief of Staff, currently William M. Daley...
at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, where he was responsible for the Cross-Sector Partnerships portfolio. In this role, he directed strategy development for cross-sector partnerships and innovation strategies aimed at enhancing collaboration between the White House, federal departments, agencies, corporations, nonprofits and foundations.
After leaving the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, Buffett became the director of agriculture development at the Task Force for Business Stability Operations under the U.S. Department of Defense, where he was tasked with designing and implementing a strategy for agricultural development in Afghanistan and Iraq.
White House Energy Innovation Conference
In May 2010, Buffett spearheaded a White House Energy Innovation Conference focused on promoting partnerships. Represented at the event were four federal departments, three federal agencies, entrepreneurs, state government officials, academia, private sector leaders, nonprofits and innovators.At the conference, the United States Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
and the Small Business Administration
Small Business Administration
The Small Business Administration is a United States government agency that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and strengthen the nation's economy by enabling the establishment and viability of small businesses...
jointly announced that both the Small Business Investment Company program and the Small Business Technology Transfer program would begin using their existing funding networks to promote small green energy firms through a new $60 million Business Clean Energy Innovation Fund. The event also served as the launch vehicle for the Regional Energy Innovation Conferences.
The first Regional Energy Innovation Conference was hosted in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
on June 17, 2010. The event focused on connecting entrepreneurs and small enterprise with representatives from organizations across sectors and was itself a partnership between the City of Omaha, The Gallup Organization
The Gallup Organization
The Gallup Organization, is primarily a research-based performance-management consulting company. Some of Gallup's key practice areas are - Employee Engagement, Customer Engagement and Well-Being. Gallup has over 40 offices in 27 countries. World headquarters are in Washington, D.C. Operational...
, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a non-profit foundation based in Kansas City, Missouri. It has an asset base of $2 billion...
, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Over one hundred local, regional, and national organizations were represented at Gallup University’s Omaha Campus to discuss issues ranging from regional gap funding and human capital needs to collaboration and the early adoption of energy innovation.
Advisory positions
Buffett serves on the Board of Visitors for the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana UniversityIndiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
, and on the boards of New York Needs You and the Clark and Hinman Foundation. Additionally, he has served as an advisor to both the United Nations Office for Partnerships
United Nations Office for Partnerships
The United Nations Office for Partnerships serves as a gateway for partnership opportunities with the United Nations family. It promotes new collaborations and alliances in furtherance of the Millennium Development Goals and provides support to new initiatives of the Secretary-General...
and the FEED Foundation.
He has also served as a judge for the Collaboration Prize, the American Express
American Express
American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
2009 NGen Fellows Program, and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship’s business plan competitions.
He is an active member of the Nebraska Society and a lifetime alumni member of the Future Farmers of America(FFA
FFA
FFA is a three-letter acronym that may stand for:-Aviation and the military:* First Flight Airport, IATA code for the tiny airstrip in Kitty Hawk where the first flight occurred in 1903.* Free-fire area, in U.S...
).
Photography
He is also a published photographer. His work has appeared in National Geographic, World Wildlife Fund for Nature, and Encyclopedia of EarthEncyclopedia of Earth
The Encyclopedia of Earth is an electronic reference about the Earth, its natural environments, and their interaction with society. The Encyclopedia is described as a free, fully searchable collection of articles written by scholars, professionals, educators, and other approved experts, who...
.