Mr. Chris Gabelle is the parent of both a current R-MA student (Francis ‘27) and an R-MA graduate (JJ Banek-Gabelle ‘21, now at the US Coast Guard Academy). He currently serves as a Senior Social Protection Specialist for the World Bank in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he is based in Kinshasa. His extensive experience in international development and fragile/conflict-affected countries includes senior management and technical roles with the United Kingdom Department for International Development in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Liberia; as well as additional roles at the World Bank, United Nations, and European Union in West Africa, including Deputy Head of Office for the United Kingdom’s response to the West African Ebola Outbreak (Sierra Leone, 2014-2016). He holds a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics and Management, as well as a Master of Science in Tropical Agricultural Development, both from the University of Reading in Reading, United Kingdom.