David Beasley is a distinguished leader, humanitarian, and former Governor of South Carolina (1995–1999). He most recently served as the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) from 2017 to April 2023, having been nominated by two U.S. presidential administrations from different parties and appointed by the UN Secretary-General. 

World Food Programme


Under Beasley’s leadership, WFP became the largest humanitarian organization in the world, assisting over 160 million people in 2022 alone and raising over $55 billion to combat global hunger. In 2020, he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of WFP for its efforts to provide food assistance in conflict areas and prevent food from being used as a weapon of war. In his Oslo acceptance speech on December 10, 2021, he remarked: 

“We have learned that there is great richness in those who are seen, in the eyes of the world, as 'the poor.' And many of us who are considered 'rich' are actually poor in the things that matter most." 

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Governor of South Carolina

David Beasley, elected one of South Carolina’s youngest governors in 1994, led with bold reform and moral conviction. His tenure brought sweeping education, welfare, and criminal justice reform, over $1 billion in tax cuts, and record-breaking economic growth—$22 billion in investment and 110,000 new jobs. Beasley made South Carolina the first state to wire every school for the Internet and launched the South Carolina Infrastructure Bank, fueling over a billion dollars in road and bridge improvements without raising taxes. Yet his most defining moment came when he called for the removal of the Confederate flag from the State House dome—a courageous act that cost him politically but solidified his legacy as a leader guided by conscience. Reflecting on that decision, he told his team:

“We did the right thing, at the right time, in the right way—therefore, we were successful.”

South Carolina Representative

After graduating from Clemson University, David Beasley ran for the South Carolina House of Representatives and was elected at 21 years old—one of the youngest representatives in state history. While serving as representative, he obtained his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

David Beasley served for thirteen years in the State House, becoming chair of key committees, House Majority Leader and Speaker Pro Tempore.