Worku Gachou is a Vice President for Social Impact at Visa Inc, where he leads the company’s efforts to drive inclusive and equitable economic growth in North America.

Prior to Visa, Mr. Gachou was a senior political appointee at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) where he served as a key adviser to the agency’s Chief Executive Officer and oversaw a regional portfolio of over $5 billion in impact investments. Before joining DFC, Mr. Gachou was a policy advisor in Covington & Burling LLP’s Public Policy and Government Affairs practice. At Covington, he advised corporate clients on various complex matters, including high-level political advocacy, mergers and acquisitions diligence, and market entry strategies. Prior to Covington, Mr. Gachou was a senior staffer on the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives where he managed the Africa, environmental, and conservation portfolio. During his time at the Committee, he helped draft several landmark pieces of legislation that eventually became law, including the Electrify Africa Act, the END Wildlife Trafficking Act, and the reauthorization of the African Growth and Opportunity Act.

Mr. Gachou is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from DePaul University and a Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies from Georgetown University.