Rick Little, Founder

Rick is a serial social entrepreneur.  He’s the creator and catalyst behind a dozen organizations and initiatives that together have operated in more than 100 countries improving the odds for millions of young people and their families. 

Rick is the founder of International Youth Foundation (IYF) – whose work has spanned more than 100 countries scaling and sustaining ‘what works’ in improving the conditions and prospects for young people.  (www.iyfglobal.org)

 He was the founding CEO and creator of Silatech – now the largest youth employment and entrepreneurship initiative working across the Middle East and North Africa.  Since its establishment by Sheikha Moza bint Nasser (Chair of the Qatar Foundation), Silatech has supported more than 2 million young people in finding or creating jobs across the region.  (www.silatech.org) 

Rick  led the design and creation of a pioneering approach to improving the workplace experience and life opportunities for young adult workers in the global manufacturing supply chains of Nike, Gap, and Mattel.  The Global Alliance for Workers and Communities scaled across more than 60 factories in China, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, reaching over 125,000 young adult workers with direct health services, education, skills training and financial services.   

His first venture was Quest International – which he started at age 19 – with initial support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Quest’s life skills programs have been implemented in thousands of schools in more than 100 countries, impacting millions of young people each year. Nearly one million teachers, counselors and youth leaders have been trained in Quest programs. (www.lions-quest.org)  

Little chaired the World Economic Forum’s first Global Agenda Council on Empowering Youth.  He chaired the Second Annual Middle East Summit on Corporate Social Responsibility and co-chaired the UN’s High-Level Panel of the Youth Employment Network (YEN).  Rick has served on numerous boards and advisory boards including Mercy Corps, Sojourners, Nike Foundation. 

Rick was an International Fellow in Applied Developmental Science at Tufts University. He received a Nike Foundation Hero Award, the Robert Scrivner Award from the Council on Foundations, and the World Economic Forum named him one of the world’s 100 Global Leaders for Tomorrow.   

Currently, Rick is an advisor to Laurel Strategies and APCO.