George Rupp recently stepped down as President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, a global relief and development organization that also resettles refugees in the United States. He was previously President of Columbia University and before that, President of Rice University. Earlier he was Dean of the Harvard Divinity School, Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Vice Chancellor of Johnston College in the University of Redlands. He has been a faculty member at all of the institutions where he has had administrative responsibilities and is also the author of numerous articles and five books, including Globalization Challenged: Conviction, Conflict, Community.

Dr. Rupp is on the boards of the Henry Luce Foundation, Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation and Institute of International Education. He has served on the boards of dozens of organizations, including the Council on Foreign Relations, BioVentures for Global Health and the Greater Houston Partnership. He has also been the Co-President of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, Founding Chair of the Alliance to End Hunger, Chair of the Forum Club of Houston and Chair of the Association of American Universities.

Along with studies in Germany and Sri Lanka, Dr. Rupp received his A.B. from Princeton University, B.D. from Yale Divinity School and Ph.D. from Harvard University.