William Barron, a Public Health Engineer committed to poverty reduction, has over 40 years of experience in humanitarian relief and aid development, with demonstrated leadership skills and ability to work effectively, creatively in difficult and diverse conditions and in varying cultural environments. Before laying the foundation of iMMAP Inc. in 1997, Mr. Barron spent 12 years working on water supply and sanitation health projects.
As a Co-founder of iMMAP Inc. (incorporated in 2006) and the Chief Executive Officer since 2014, Mr. Barron leads a cohesive senior management team. He sets the tone for the organization by upholding high ethical standards and fairness, and he drives the organization in defining its vision. Mr. Barron serves as the main spokesperson for iMMAP Inc. and bears the primary responsibility for ensuring the organization meets both its short-term operational and long-term strategic goals.
During his time in Haiti with the Peace Corps (1985-1987), Mr. Barron provided technical assistance to the CARE-Haiti Community Water Systems and Sanitation Development Project, funded by USAID. He completed engineering feasibility studies and designed spring-fed gravity-flow water distribution systems.
In Cambodia, with Oxfam Great Britain (1988-1990), Mr. Barron managed and monitored program operations for the Cambodian Government's Department of Hydrology. He implemented strategies to enhance community capacity for maintaining hand pumps and constructing wells using low-cost appropriate techniques. He also formulated an emergency assistance program to provide water supplies for war-displaced persons in western Cambodia.
In Pakistan, with Oxfam Great Britain (1990-1992), Mr. Barron coordinated the UNHCR Afghan Refugee Water Supply Program, which was implemented by the Pakistan Public Health Engineering Department and various non-governmental organizations. This program ensured the provision of safe water for approximately 2.5 million Afghan refugees in the Northwest Frontier and Baluchistan provinces.
From 1992 to 1994, Mr. Barron worked with UNHCR in Pakistan, overseeing the implementation of the Third Phase of the Income Generating Project for Refugee Areas (IGPRA) in collaboration with the World Bank and the Government of Pakistan. This project focused on rehabilitation and infrastructural development in forestry, irrigation, and road sectors, targeting areas impacted by refugees. Mr. Barron also established (in collaboration with UNHCR Headquarters in Geneva) a forum of discussions with international agencies, funding bodies, and organizations on refugee aid and environmental issues in Pakistan.
From 1995 to 1997, still with UNHCR in Pakistan, Mr. Barron planned, supervised, and evaluated programs related to water supply, health, and education for Afghan refugees in Pakistan, as well as voluntary repatriation to Afghanistan. He spearheaded a successful Community Management Program that mobilized and trained approximately 75 Afghan refugee communities to take over the responsibility for operating and maintaining piped water supply schemes. Mr. Barron also analyzed voluntary repatriation trends, provided data to aid international agencies in targeting assistance programs in Afghanistan, and advised the Tripartite Repatriation Commission (comprising the governments of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and UNHCR). Additionally, he designed and modified survey and reporting systems for tracking refugee populations in Pakistan and their movements to Afghanistan.
From 1997 to 2006, Mr. Barron worked on the development and implementation of the Landmine Impact Survey initiative at the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. He played a key role in expanding the organization’s mission to include the coordination and management of information in humanitarian emergencies and post-conflict areas.
Mr. Barron holds an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of North Carolina’s School of Public Health at Chapel Hill.