Michael Crane started his career in international development as a Peace Corps volunteer in Gabon from 1984 to 1987. He was so enthralled with the opportunities, challenges and rewards of the job that he decided to serve an extra year. Three years later he was back in Africa helping protect the endangered African Elephant as a Community Development Officer for the World Wildlife Fund in Zimbabwe. These experiences solidified his commitment to international development. Today, Crane Associates is dedicated to helping communities around the globe strengthen local economies while protecting their critical natural resources. This means creating jobs in sustainable industries, strengthening institutional capacity, building skills, and managing natural resources. For Michael, it’s a passion with a mission.
We hired a Team of United Nations consultants led by Michael Crane. For nearly one year I observed Michael’s work ethic and leadership skills… Michael’s challenge was overwhelming at times. Nonetheless, I observed him successfully complete tasks that veteran diplomats from many countries couldn’t do; that was to get Iraqis from diverse backgrounds and regions to sit in the same room and agree to a plan. I know he worked tirelessly behind the scenes. He was persistent and patient in overcoming every obstacle. Michael was involved at all levels of the project; he worked one-on-one with junior bureaucrats to understand the existing administration, he conducted stakeholder analyses and workshops with middle managers, and he made high-level presentations to senior government officials…The proof that Michael’s project was successful lies in the millions of dollars of funding dedicated to implementing this plan. My country has benefited greatly from Michael’s hard work and commitment to his job. His skills at creative problem solving, diplomacy, and compassionate leadership gave Iraq at least one project of which we can be proud. In a land as difficult as Iraq, this is a great accomplishment.
