Richard S. Parnell
Rick Parnell serves as the deputy chief operating officer and chief of staff of the United Nations Foundation and Better World Fund. Mr. Parnell oversees all aspects of the Foundation’s operations, including finance, grants, budget, HR, operations and board liaison. In addition, he supervises all Foundation staff, ensures the efficient and effective allocation of resources across departments and, along with the president, executive vice president and senior vice president for public affairs, forms the Strategic Planning Committee, which is responsible for creating and directing the Foundation’s core mission and activities.
Before joining the United Nations Foundation in 2001, Mr. Parnell was the senior operations officer for the American Red Cross National Development team and oversaw the day-to-day operations of a $1 billion fund-raising campaign for the national organization and its 1,100 local chapters.
Mr. Parnell also served as chief of staff to the president of the University of Florida for 10 years. He holds a B.A. in American History from the University of Florida.
