Rodney J. MacAlister

Rod MacAlister is the Managing Director of the Africa Middle Market Fund (AMMF), which he founded in October 2006. On its website AMMF states that it is "a private capital fund that invests in medium sized African businesses who need from $500,000 up to $2 million to grow and succeed to their full potential. We are an "impact investment" fund, meaning that we care equally about financial performance and social benefit. We are for-profit and insist on our investees employing world standards of financial and business management to maximize their chances of success. We also expect them to create good jobs, pay competitive wages and benefits, and find ways to turn community needs into opportunities that synergize with the business. We are, at base, about the head and the heart working together for profit and development."

Background
A biographical note from 2007 stated that MacAlister "leads USADF from its Washington headquarters. He has extensive private sector experience in Africa, having led operations, business development and community development efforts for ConocoPhillips in Central Africa for 12 years, many of them in conflict-affected countries.  He has lived twice in Africa and traveled extensively across the continent. He has been actively involved with the Corporate Council on Africa, BCIU, the National Foreign Trade Council and other well-known trade and advocacy groups.  Mr. MacAlister was a founding member of the Fund of Peace’s Human Rights and Business Roundtable, which brought together the corporate and non-profit sectors for constructive discourse and mutual problem-solving.  Prior to taking the reins at USADF, MacAlister was founder and President of Business & Conflict Ltd., a London-based consultancy whose purpose is to resolve conflict where violence threatens communities and companies investing in them."

Affiliations

 * Conoco International Business Development Representative 1978-1991.
 * President and General Manager, Conoco Congo 1991-1994.
 * ConocoPhillips Washington Rep, then Head of the Washington Office 1994-2002.
 * Manager External Affairs, ConocoPhillips 2002-2003.
 * President, Business & Conflict Ltd. October 2003 — January 2006
 * President and CEO, US African Development Foundation January 2005 — October 2006
 * Managing Director, The Africa Middle Market Fund LLC, October 2006 — Present