Abraham M. George is the founder of The George Foundation (TGF), a non-profit organization based in Bangalore, India, that takes a multi-pronged approach to poverty alleviation and empowerment of India’s most disadvantaged populations. Addressing the educational, medical, livelihood and income generation needs of the communities in which it works, TGF implements a wide array of programs including:

• Shanti Bhavan (www.shantibhavanonline.org), a residential school for children from economically and socially deprived backgrounds, and concurrent support of government schools with teachers, books, supplies, and infrastructure improvements;

• Baldev Medical & Community Center and Mobile Medical Camps that serve the medical needs of 17 villages and over 16,000 people;

• Livelihood and Community Development Programs which offer vocational training in tailoring, sale of produce, creating access to clean water in villages through bore wells and pipelines, and smoke-free housing;

• Women’s Empowerment Programs which employ large numbers of poor women in flower and vegetable farms, train them in modern farming techniques, and channel profits toward education and healthcare projects.

George also pioneered the effort to remove the lead content from gasoline throughout India in April 2000, and was instrumental in the creation of the National Referral Centre for Lead Poisoning in India. His passion for social progress in India further led him to create the now prestigious Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media, where he serves as Dean.

A graduate of the National Defense Academy, and the Indian Military Academy, George served as a Captain in the Indian artillery before leaving India to pursue higher education. Upon arriving in the United States, George completed an MBA, MS and PhD in business administration from the Stern School of Business, New York University. His business career in the U.S. included senior management positions at SunGard Data Systems, at Multinational Computer Models, Inc. (MCM), a company he founded, and a Managing Director position at Credit Suisse. George also authored three books on international finance.

His most recent book “India Untouched: The forgotten face of rural poverty,” based on his initial 10 years of experience working in rural India, has gained wide acclaim in India and abroad. He serves on the boards of International Center for Journalists, Washington DC., and Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore. He is a member of the New York and South Asia Committees of Human Rights Watch (HRW), and a recipient of the Stewart Satter Award for Social Entrepreneurship.

In addition to his philanthropic efforts and board memberships, George is currently Chairman of eMedexOnline LLC, a medical diagnostic software company in New Jersey, and an Adjunct Professor at Stern Graduate School of Business, New York University.