Bob Fries

Bob Fries is chief technical officer, overseeing the technical teams as they develop programmatic approaches, share best practices and technical products with projects overseas, and apply evidence to optimize the effectiveness and impact of their work. Bob is also president of AV Ventures, ACDI/VOCA’s subsidiary dedicated to blended finance and impact investment. He has engaged in the design and governance of 10 financial institutions affiliated with ACDI/VOCA, including AV Ventures. Prior to joining ACDI/VOCA in 1989, Bob was a volunteer in Belize and researcher of seasonal labor migration in Guatemala. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Boston College and a master’s degree in economic and social development from the University of Pittsburgh. Bob is proficient in Spanish and has contributed to Value Chains and Their Significance for Addressing the Rural Finance Challenge and Nature-Centered Tourism in Ecuador, published by USAID, Basic Guidelines for Effective Rural Finance Projects, published by the World Bank, and Making Rural Financial Institutions Sustainable, published by the United States Department of Agriculture.