Chairman & CEO, Founding Member

Mr. John Riggan has over 45 years of experience in international development and strategic consulting. With a particular expertise in sustainable agriculture and natural resource management, he has been involved in rural economic development in sub-Saharan Africa since the 1960s.

Prior to joining Innovare, Mr. Riggan was co-founder and then Chairman and CEO of the TCC Group, the prominent business created to provide strategic and advisory services designed to promote inter-sectoral collaboration and entrepreneurial financing of well-proven programs to foundations, corporations and nongovernmental organizations (www.tccgrp.com).  He created TCC’s practices in Corporate Social Responsibility/ Community Involvement and the International Practice.
 He also led an international team in developing a “Long Range Financing Strategy for The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research” commissioned by The World Bank and adopted by the CGIAR membership (which includes the World Bank’s major donor nations, foundations and others) and Center Directors of the 15 CGIAR Research Centers dedicated to livestock, rice, forestry, tropical agriculture and more).

In addition to his work at Innovare, Mr. Riggan Chairs the Board and is a strategic advisor for Solutions for Progress, Inc., a mission driven technology company which develops innovative solutions to move people out of poverty.  John serves or has served as an Advisor and Board member of several non-profit organizations, including:

• World Vision International, co-Chair of Climate Change Response Initiative Advisory Board and strategic advisor helping to shape a public-private financing strategy including tapping the carbon markets for small holder, tree based agricultural projects,
• Encore! Service Corps International, Founding Board Member, which placed skilled Returned Peace Corps Volunteers in key assignments in developing countries,
• National Peace Corps Association, Advisory Council, and
• New Philanthropy for Africa, Member of Advisory Board. 


Mr. Riggan is a graduate of the University of Washington. He spent more than seven years in Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer and rural development specialist in Kenya and as the Peace Corps Country Director in Chad.