Dr. Charles Owubah

Chief Executive Officer, Action Against Hunger

Dr. Charles Owubah leads Action Against Hunger USA’s executive team in providing leadership and strategic direction to more than 1,600 staff across seven countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, and Haiti. Globally, Action Against Hunger served more than 25 million people across nearly 50 countries in 2020.

Dr. Owubah is a passionate humanitarian with extensive experience in program design, monitoring and evaluation of relief and development programs. He brings deep technical expertise and analytical rigor in collaborating with local communities on sustainable water and food security programs, delivering emergency relief, and promoting child survival across a global footprint. Dr. Owubah is deeply committed to achieving Action Against Hunger’s mission to end global hunger and save lives by preventing, detecting, and treating malnutrition.

Originally from Ghana, Dr. Owubah earned his Master of Science and Ph.D. in Natural Resource Management and Policy from Purdue University. He was an academic and consultant on food aid management before spending nearly 20 years at World Vision in roles of increasing responsibility, including as Regional Vice President for East Africa from 2009 to 2014 and Vice President and Partnership Leader from 2014 to 2018.

From 2002 to 2007, Dr. Owubah was a member of the Board of Directors of the Pinchot Institute for Conservation, a Washington, DC-based think tank on forest conservation. From 2016 to 2018, he served on the Board of Directors for the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities in Washington, DC. Dr. Owubah was honored with Purdue University’s Distinguished Agriculture Alumnus Award in 2013. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for KickStart International, a non-profit social enterprise with a mission to lift millions of people out of poverty quickly, cost- effectively, and sustainably, and is also a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council and the Dean’s Global Leadership Council at the University of Maryland’s College of Agriculture & Natural Resources.

Dr. Owubah is based at Action Against Hunger USA’s headquarters in New York City. Our USA office is one of eight organizations that comprises the Action Against Hunger International Network.