Senior Civil Society Specialist

Specialization: Mr. Garrison helps to monitor Bank and civil society relations and disseminates this information via publications and electronic products. He also formulates engagement strategies and provides advice to senior management on how to reach out to global civil society networks. John also provides technical assistance to units across the Bank on how to dialogue, consult, and collaborate with CSOs.

Languages:

English, Portuguese, Spanish

John Garrison, joined the World Bank in 1996 as a Civil Society Specialist.  He spent the first five years working in the Bank’s office in Brasilia, Brazil where he carried out applied research, organized outreach activities, and helped supervise Bank projects, all related to improving World Bank – civil society relations. 

In 2001 he moved to the Bank’s Development Gateway portal where he helped develop a civil society partnership strategy and manage content on several thematic pages. In 2002, he joined the Bank’s Civil Society Team (CST) which coordinates the Bank’s civil society engagement work at the global level. Current activities include working to formulate Bank-wide strategy, providing advice to senior management, reaching out to international civil society networks, and disseminating information on the Bank.

Before joining the Bank, Mr. Garrison spent most of his career working with international development and human rights issues in Brazil, Latin America, and the United States.  He has worked in a variety of institutions including the: Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), Catholic Relief Services ( CRS), Universidade Metodista de Piraciaba (UNIMEP), Instituto de Estudo Socio Economicos (INESC), and the Inter-American Foundation (IAF).

Mr. Garrison holds a masters degree in Latin American Studies from Vanderbilt University and has published numerous articles and reports on grassroots development and the civil society sector.

To reach this expert, please contact the World Bank's Media Division.

Updated August 2008