![]() |
Bud Philbrook
Co-founder and Chairman of the Board |
After earning his law degree in 1983, Bud opened his own law office in St. Paul, representing small and medium-sized businesses for 12 years, when in 1994, he closed his law firm to join his wife, Michele Gran at Global Volunteers to become the full-time president and CEO. It's a job he has described as "the best job in the world." Personal Background: The first of two sons in a large Irish-Catholic family of 11 children, Global Volunteers President Burnham John "Bud" Philbrook was raised in the same house his mother was born and raised in. Named after his father, Burnham Leroy Philbrook, the young Burnham was nicknamed "Bud" early in his life by his father. Family has always been a centerpiece of Bud's life. That, and his unyielding curiosity about world cultures and passion for politics lead him on his early life journey to public service, the practice of law, and ultimately, to co-found Global Volunteers.
"For most of the time that I was growing up in Roseville, Minnesota, my father worked two jobs to support the family. My mother, who took care of the children, also picked up temporary jobs during the Christmas holidays and other times when money was tight. But my parents also always volunteered. My father read for the blind for over thirty years and my mother visited the elderly, worked at church, and raised money for cancer research and the March of Dimes. Holidays were always a festive time for us, and I have wonderful memories of my family gathering around the Christmas tree in hopes that Santa left something for each of us," he said. Bud attended a private military high school in St. Paul, Minnesota. That experience helped him understand the sometimes unfortunate necessity of war, but also inspired him to seek alternatives to violence to resolve international conflicts. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Political Science from the College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota, in 1969 during the time of the Vietnam War.He decided then that he would commit his energies to finding ways to prevent war, vowing that when the Vietnam War was over, he would somehow help the Vietnamese people. (In 1994 when the U.S. trade embargo was lifted, Bud made the first of many trips to southern Vietnam and encouraged other Americans to volunteer there as well.)
It was in December, 1979, that Bud and Michele Gran married in St. Paul and honeymooned in Conacaste, Guatemala. That trip abroad was, in fact, Global Volunteers' genesis. The couple worked together while raising three sons -- all of whom work for Global Volunteers. Throughout the years, Bud and Michele, together and apart, have invited their sons to join them on service programs and host community visits worldwide, sharing special events as a family, such as the dedication of "Project Peace" and An Shang School in China. Bud has taken his sons with him to host communities all over the world from the time they were each eight years old. Bud's motto: We have so much to learn from one another. |
|