Gavin Finnegan

Gavin Finnegan graduated cum laude from Loyola University New Orleans with a B.A. in World Religion and a minor in Political Science. During his sophomore year, Hurricane Katrina necessitated his evacuation from New Orleans. In response, he established shelters in the surrounding area before resuming his studies at Texas A&M University that fall. During the summer of 2007, Gavin studied and taught English in Northern India.

Following his undergraduate studies, Gavin served as a legislative assistant at the Texas State Capitol and then volunteered for 26 months in rural Jamaica as a Peace Corps Sanitation/Community Development Specialist.

In 2013, Gavin earned his master's degree in International Affairs from the Bush School of Government and Public Policy at Texas A&M University, focusing on International Enterprises and Agricultural Economic Development. During his studies, he also taught and studied in Guatemala.

Since 2013, Gavin has served as a senior program coordinator at the Center on Conflict and Development at Texas A&M University, working in international settings.

From 2013 to 2018, Gavin was based in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. His research initiatives included cassava propagation, identifying conflict-resistant agricultural practices, and evaluating former child soldier reintegration programs. He also oversaw the construction of a 600-person conference center and the Grande Barrier border crossing facility.

In 2018, Gavin relocated to Rwanda, where he managed multiple construction projects, including roads, a border crossing, a university, and a 67-pivot center pivot irrigation scheme to support rural smallholder farmers.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in 2022 Gavin moved to Ukraine to support CDF development efforts across the country.