Rick Little

Mr. Little brings over 35 years of experience in working for and with young people.

Rick Little is a “serial social entrepreneur.”  During 35 years of work, he has envisioned and established numerous initiatives that promote economic opportunity, job creation and positive youth development operating in more than 100 countries.  His work focuses on building practical and sustainable solutions to large-scale challenges by galvanizing relationships among social entrepreneurs, thought leaders and investors from various disciplines.  Together they are finding new and better ways of doing business – approaches providing opportunities and incentives that foster respect and human dignity.

Rick Little is Chairman of the Executive Committee of Silatech and a founding member of the Board of Trustees.  Under the leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser of Qatar, Rick designed and built Silatech’s strategy to address the daunting challenge of youth employment across the Middle East and North Africa.  Silatech and its partners have helped tens of thousands of young people learn critical skills, connect to job opportunities or create their own small enterprises.  Silatech envisions a world in which every young person is prepared to succeed, engaged in decent work, and actively pursuing their dreams.

Rick Little is Founder and President of the ImagineNations Group – a catalyst for positive change – partnering with entrepreneurs, leaders, investors, philanthropists and organizations.  Together, they inspire and develop practical strategies that change the odds for people where they work, live and learn.  Working primarily in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, ImagineNations is helping to bridge deep divides (e.g. economic, cultural, race and faith), and address complex, large-scale challenges such as youth employment and economic opportunity.  With its expansive network of entrepreneurial partners, ImagineNations champions innovative ideas, talent and resources that inspire positive change.

Little is also Founder of the International Youth Foundation (IYF).  In 1989, he led a process involving hundreds of leaders from dozens of countries that resulted in the establishment of the International Youth Foundation (IYF) in 1990 with the largest charitable investment ever made by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation at that time (the first ten years). Today, IYF is among the world’s largest public foundations focused on finding and supporting “what works” for young people. It now operates in more than 80 countries, and its global network of partners invests in hundreds of projects in education, health, leadership, employment, and bridging the digital divide.  Little served as IYF’s CEO from 1990 to 2002, and remains involved in its efforts as founder and member of its international board.