ECHO's new CEO takes organization to new heights in year one at the helm

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Oct. 27, 2023 - PRLog -- ECHO, Inc., a leading nonprofit global development organization, is pleased to celebrate Dr. Abram Bicksler's first year as CEO of the decades old institution. Bicksler took over the helm at ECHO in the summer of 2022 after having served as Agricultural Officer at the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, Italy.

In the past year Bicksler has accomplished a wide range of tasks that include the co-creation of ECHO's next five-year strategic plan, the hiring of a dynamic leadership team, the refocusing of ECHO Florida to become the North American Regional Impact Center to better serve our local community and engaging with dozens of local groups, professionals and civic organizations in ways to sustainably serve hunger needs around the world.

"It's been an incredible year, and I'm immensely proud of what we've achieved," said Bicksler. "ECHO is committed to creating a more sustainable future, and we will continue to lead by example in the years to come."

Bicksler earned his Doctorate and Master's degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Agroecology and Sustainable Cropping and completed his bachelor's degree at Taylor University in Environmental Studies and Biology. As a leader and researcher, he has been published in several journals including the International Journal of Development Research; the Journal of Agricultural Studies; the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development; Experimental Agriculture; and Acta Horticulturae.

Prior to his time at the FAO, Bicksler was at ECHO for five years from 2013-2018 serving as the Director of ECHO's Asia Regional Impact Center in Thailand. While there he led the international staff team, coordinated and implemented regional networking and training events, initiated research culminating in multiple published studies and grew the capacity of the ECHO Asia Seed Bank.

ABOUT ECHO

ECHO provides hope against hunger around the globe through agricultural training and
resources. A Christian technical networking and resourcing organization, ECHO builds a network and serves that network by sharing validated contextualized agricultural options with technical excellence. ECHO's goal is to serve its network members to advance food security and sustainable livelihoods. ECHO's North American Regional Impact Center is located in Fort Myers, Fla. For more information about ECHO call 239-543-3246 or visit echonet.org or ECHOcommunity.org.