Gregory C. Carr
Gregory C. Carr (born 1959) is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist. His most notable philanthropic venture is the restoration of Mozambique's famous Gorongosa National Park,[2] which has been ravaged by civil war and environmental destruction. He has pledged $40 million over 30 years to rebuild the park as a source of tourist income for the local population.
Gregory C. Carr | |
---|---|
Born | 1959 62) | (age
Nationality | American |
Education | Master of Science in Public policy [1] |
Alma mater | John F. Kennedy School of Government, Utah State University |
Website | http://carrfoundation.org/ |
Biography
Greg Carr was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho, in 1959. His parents are Taylor H. and Betty O. Carr. He attended Utah State University as an undergraduate, majoring in history, and received a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1986. Later that year, inspired by the breakup of AT&T, he and Scott Jones founded Boston Technology,[3] one of the earlier firms to sell voice mail systems to telephone companies. Carr served as the chair of Boston Technology until it was purchased by Comverse Technology (CMVT) in 1998.[4][5]
From 1996 to 1998 he was chair of Prodigy, an early global Internet service provider (ISP).[6][7] He also co-founded Africa Online in 1996 and served as its chair until 1998.
In 1998 Carr resigned from his for-profit boards and dedicated himself to humanitarian activities. He formed the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University in 1999. Through research and teaching, the Carr Center seeks to make human rights principles central to the formulation of good public policy in the United States and throughout the world.
In 1999 he also founded the Gregory C. Carr Foundation, a non-profit organization through which he has been involved in various projects including the Gorongosa Restoration Project. The Carr Foundation is currently committed to the 30 year restoration of Gorongosa National Park in central Mozambique as well as to the sustainable development of the communities surrounding the park. The Gorongosa team has reintroduced species to the ecosystem, worked with the Mozambican government to extend the park's boundaries to include Mount Gorongosa and planted more than three million trees on the mountain, created an international Restoration Ecology science research center, established eco-tourism in the Park, and provides health and education programs to the local communities living near the Park's borders. National Geographic Television chronicled the Park's restoration in their film "Africa's Lost Eden", as well as the CBS News program "60 Minutes"[8] on October 26, 2008.
Carr has been active in human rights activities in his home state of Idaho. In 2000, he co-founded the Museum of Idaho located in Idaho Falls, and in 2001 he opened the Market Theater in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The theater was known for showcasing small independent and experimental productions. In 2001 he purchased the compound of the Aryan Nations, near Hayden Lake, Idaho, after it was seized by court order following a successful lawsuit brought by the Southern Poverty Law Center against the Nazi group. The land, donated to North Idaho College, is now a peace park.
Carr currently sits on the board of Internews, a non-profit organization advancing independent journalism.
He is a close friend of biologist E. O. Wilson.[9]
References
- "KENNEDY SCHOOL ANNOUNCES CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY" (Press release). John F. Kennedy School of Government. 1999-06-10. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- Hanes, Stephane (May 2007). "Greg Carr's Big Gamble". Smithsonian. Archived from the original on 2011-12-25. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- Julie Sloane (2007-10-11). "Anatomy of an entrepreneur". Fortune Small Business. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- Journal, Thomas E. WeberStaff Reporter of The Wall Street (1997-08-22). "Comverse Technology to Buy Boston Tech for $845.2 Million". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
- "Comverse acquires Boston Technology". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
- Journal, Jared SandbergStaff Reporter of The Wall Street (1996-10-17). "Prodigy Plans on Becoming A 'New' Internet Service". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
- Journal, Jared Sandberg and Craig S. SmithStaff Reporters of The Wall Street (1997-04-29). "Prodigy Becomes First Foreign Internet Provider in China". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
- One Man's Plan to Save a Natural Treasure. CBS News. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
- French, Howard W. (November Issue). "E. O. Wilson's Theory of Everything". The Atlantic. Retrieved 13 October 2011. Check date values in:
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External links
- Carr Foundation official site
- Gorongosa National Park site
- New York Times "New Future for Idaho Aryan Nations Compound" by Sam Howe Verhovek
- “The Monkey and the Fish”, Philip Gourevitch,The New Yorker, December 21, 2009, p. 98
- Sierra Club Magazine "Resurrecting Mozambique's Magnificent Gorongosa"
- Sun Valley Magazine - Paradise Lost, and Found
- New York Times "In Mozambique, a Living Laboratory for Nature's Renewal" by Natalie Angier
- New York Times: "A Comeback for African National Parks" by Patrick Adams
- Independent: "How Gorongosa National Park went from civil war battlefield to conservation leader" by Heather Richardson
- National Geographic: "Devastated by war, this African park's wildlife is now thriving - A generation after civil war, more than 100,000 large animals populate Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park, a rare spot of good news" by David Quammen
- Associated Press: "In Mozambique, Conservationists Try to Curb Child Marriage"
- New York Times: "How Teeth Became Tusks, and Tusks Became Liabilities"
- The Guardian: "Women lead the charge in healing scars of war in Mozambique wildlife park"
- Nature: "Upgrading protected areas to conserve wild biodiversity"
- VIMEO: Girls Club Gorongosa
- VIMEO: Dominique Gonçalves speaking about Gorongosa at National Geographic Society on Half Earth Day, 2017
- Princeton University "Ecologists find a 'landscape of fearlessness' in a war-torn savannah"
- National Geographic - Why Cyclone Idai was so destructive
- National Geographic - Children living near national parks are healthier, more prosperous
- New York Times - Opinion by Thomas L. Friedman
- National Geographic - How one of Africa's great parks is rebounding from war
- Idaho Statesman - This Idahoan's team feeds 20,000 people after cyclone destroyed Gorongosa. Here's how to help
- UNDP: STIMULATING GROWTH - Growing coffee to restore the rainforest and lift people out of poverty also reinforces Africa's greatest wildlife restoration initiative
- Idaho Statesman - Zoo Boise set to open its first exhibit in more than a decade. Here’s what you’ll see.
- Idaho Statesman - A people ravaged by civil war found new life in Idahoan’s team’s effort to plant coffee
- Associated Press - Mozambique peace accord brings hope of economic growth
- New York Times: "Wild Pups Romp Again in an African Paradise" by Natalie Angier
- Associated Press - Coffee growers help reforest Mozambique’s Mount Gorongosa
- TIME Magazine - World’s Greatest Places 2019 - Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique
- Associated Press - Thousands in Mozambique rebuild after devastating cyclones
- Seasons Greetings from Gorongosa Park - Message by Greg Carr
- Wired - The wild experiment to bring apex predators back from the brink
- CNN Travel: Inside Africa - The women behind the comeback: How one of Africa's national parks is thriving after war
- Mountain Journal - The Awakening: How Hope Was Reborn In Gorongosa
- New York Times: "How This Spot (in Mozambique) Got Its Leopard"