Rick is the Executive Director of VFI and has lived and worked in Laos since late 1998. After heading World Education for two years, Rick — along with several Lao colleagues — created VFI in 2000. The original team wanted to focus on the issues facing Lao people at the village level, and the programmatic focus of VFI remains a reflection of that founding spirit. Under Rick’s leadership, VFI has earned a reputation as an organization that genuinely promotes and supports Lao leaders, something he and the rest of our team are very proud of.