Rich McDonnell joined the Morino Group in
May 1998 and was named managing director, investments in May
2000. Before assuming this role, he was vice president, operations
of the Morino Group and also served as a senior level management
advisor to the Morino Institute's Youth Development Collaborative
(YDC) Pilot. Prior to joining the Morino Group, McDonnell
worked for 24 years with the US Department of Agriculture's
Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). He spent approximately
half of his career with USDA abroad, including postings to
Holland, Portugal, Spain, Canada, and Russia. During his diplomatic
career, he negotiated with foreign governments to gain improved
access for American products and helped US businessmen penetrate
overseas markets. He speaks Spanish, and some Portuguese and
Russian. A native of Bradford, Massachusetts, he received
a BA in economics from the University of Massachusetts and
an MA in international relations (Russian studies) from Georgetown
University. After completing his undergraduate degree, he
served four years in the US Navy.
