Gerald Martone

Gerald works on humanitarian advocacy initiatives to influence policy and public support for people affected by political oppression, disasters, and violent conflict.

For the previous 10 years at IRC, Gerald was the Director of Emergency Response. He has overseen emergency operations and assessments in Burundi, Liberia, Kosovo, Chechnya, DR Congo, Sierra Leone, Congo-Brazzaville, Rwanda, East Timor, Northern Uganda, Albania, Angola, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Darfur-Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and tsunami-affected areas of Indonesia.

Gerald served two elected terms as the Co-Chair of the Disaster Response Committee of InterAction and also served on the Sphere Project Management Committee. In 1999 he participated on the UN Inter-Agency Emergency Mission to East Timor and in 2000 he participated in the UNHCR Mission to Angola.

Gerald is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s School for International and Public Affairs. He has published numerous articles and book chapters covering a variety of topics on international aid and is an active spokesperson for human rights and humanitarian assistance.

Prior to directing IRC’s emergency programs, Gerald was the IRC Program Officer for former Yugoslavia. He also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer, Preventive Medical Services, in Gbartala, Liberia from 1979-1982. He lives in New York City.