Rodney J. MacAlister is a seasoned international executive serving ICRD in the dual roles of Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.  He has lived in many countries, with a career concentrated in Africa and the Middle East. His extensive years in the international Oil and Gas industry involved him in many conflict zones, and conflict-prone situations, including in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Liberia, Nigeria, Angola, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Republic of the Congo. 

Rod founded and ran a London-based Consultancy to advise large companies on doing business in dangerous places. In that capacity, he organized Iraq’s first private domestic energy company in early 2004, immediately post-invasion. He served as CEO of a federal agency in the George W. Bush Administration which helped small and medium enterprises in Africa become bankable, with a focus on creating jobs in conflict-recovering countries. He served as the Private Sector Chair of the State Department’s Overseas Advisory Council in Cape Town, South Africa. He also is a Senior Advisor to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC. 

Rod served for a brief period as Executive Vice President of ICRD in 2010-2011, and has remained close to the Center through all its 27 years of life. He was quick to read Religion, the Missing Dimension of Statecraft in 1994 and then reached out to Dr. Johnston to understand faith-based diplomacy as fully as possible. Having this opportunity to return and lead the Center is an answer to a 30-year calling.  

When not working hard, Rod and his wife of 40 years enjoy being new Grandparents, having an active faith and church life, travel, reading and making music.