Howard W. Buffett is a member of the Toyota Diversity Advisory Board, where he brings leadership experience from roles in government, philanthropy, academia, and international development.
Mr. Buffett is a professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs where he teaches courses on public management innovation, impact investing, and philanthropy. He also serves on the Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing, which advises the University’s $15 billion endowment on social and environmental investment policies. Buffett’s award-winning research, Social Value Investing: A Management Framework for Effective Partnerships (Columbia University Press, 2018), introduces Impact Rate of Return—an innovative methodology to measure and analyze social and environmental impact.
Previously, he was executive director of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, which strengthens food security for vulnerable populations and is active in 80 countries throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America. While at the foundation, he co-authored the New York Times bestseller 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World (Simon & Schuster, 2013).
Prior to that, Mr. Buffett oversaw economic development and stabilization programs for the U.S. Department of Defense in Afghanistan and Iraq. For his work in Afghanistan he received the Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award—the highest-ranking civilian honor presented by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and requiring the request and approval of the Combatant Commanders. He also served as a Policy Advisor for the White House Domestic Policy Council where he co-authored the President’s cross-sector partnership strategy, and he was a member of the Technology, Innovation, and Government Reform policy working group for the 2008-09 Presidential Transition Team.
Mr. Buffett earned his BS from Northwestern University, his MPA in advanced management and finance from Columbia University, and executive education certificates from Harvard Business School. He sits on several corporate boards and advisory boards, including Case New Holland Industrial (NYSE:CNHI), Inari Agriculture, StateBook International, REEF Technology, and S2G Ventures. Mr. Buffett also chairs the Advisory Council for Harvard’s International Negotiation Program.