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Ten Thousand Villages hires new CEO
Paula Wolf//May 20, 2022
Fair trade retailer Ten Thousand Villages has named longtime volunteer Dan Alonso as its new CEO.
The nonprofit, based in Akron, Lancaster County, announced that Alonso began the job May 1.
A graduate of Messiah University, Alonso said in his LinkedIn profile that he joined Ten Thousand Villages after 20 years at The Giant Co., holding leadership positions in brand strategy, business development, operations support and technology.
He has served as a board member of the Mechanicsburg Ten Thousand Villages store, a member of the Board Store Council and most recently a member of the national board.
“I became involved in Ten Thousand Villages because of my passion to connect my vocation – retail – with my purpose: serving an organization that supports the country of my birth, Colombia,” Alonso said in a release.
“… Once I began volunteering 10 years ago, I fell in love with the way the people on the board and the store staff pursued ‘business as mission.’”
Ed Diller, board chair of Ten Thousand Villages, added: “Dan’s passion for Ten Thousand Villages and the work it does around the world is clear. … Because of that birthright, Dan has a special interest in working with artisan groups around the world to ensure those artisans – a majority of whom are women – can earn a fair living wage, free of exploitation in their countries of origin.”
Ten Thousand Villages U.S. connects artisans in 25 developing countries with North American consumers through its 51 stores and 300-plus retail partners, in addition to an online shop
