Three years into it, Highland Institute is growing slowly and organically, hosting many local and national dignitaries as speakers. This is an incredible feat considering the Institute was launched at the start of the pandemic. A lot of this credit goes to member Douglas Gardner.  

Douglas Gardner grew up in Wellesley Ma. and had the urge to travel from an early age. After graduating from Denison University with a dual degree in Economics and English, he scratched that travel itch by joining the Peace Corps for service in Burkina Faso.

After securing a masters degree in business, and determining that a job in a three-piece suit on Wall Street with the Chase Manhattan Bank did not cut it, he found his real calling working for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for over 30 years, with assignments around the globe in places like Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Mongolia, Ukraine, as well as New York.

Working as the Director of Occidental College’s Program at the UN for the past eight years has been a chance to give back to young 21-year old talents interested in understanding the development process and creating a better world. Today, among many other things he does, Doug serves as the Director of Highland Institute.