User:Peterghdcook
Peter Cook, also known as "Peter Rico Cook" arrives to Georgetown University after extensive field work in rural Ecuador. Peter began work in Ecuador in 2009 with a local cocoa farmers’ cooperative through a US non-profit in the areas of capacity-building, organizational strategy, and business development. Through his work with the cooperative and knowledge of the cocoa trade, he began work as an export consultant to U.S. cocoa buyers in Ecuador. He has consulted with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s Biotrade Initiative in Ecuador in an impact monitoring and evaluation project. He has also worked with the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), developing marketing plans for agricultural products from indigenous women’s groups in Ecuador’s Amazonian region. Peter concluded his time in Ecuador working with Advanced Conservation Strategies, a U.S. consulting firm that worked to leverage microfinance with rural farmers toward goals of local environmental stewardship. At GHD, Peter is interested in exploring the ways in which private sector investment can influence sustainable development abroad, particularly in post-conflict regions. He holds a B.A. in philosophy and international relations from Cornell University, where he also spent time studying and working in both Spain and China. He is fluent in Spanish.