Global Volunteers president and co-founder, Bud Philbrook

Before accepting his appointment in the Obama Administration in April, 2009, Bud was President and CEO of Global Volunteers for 25 years. In the early 80s, Bud was a practicing attorney in Minnesota, specializing in business and government law. Before co-founding Global Volunteers, Bud served as Assistant Commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. He also served as a consultant to the Rural Ventures Program at the Control Data Corporation. During his college years, Bud was a production control manager at Sperry Univac in St. Paul, and shortly after graduation he worked for the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group. He worked in a staff capacity on Senator McCarthy's and Senator McGovern's presidential campaigns. At age 28, he was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, where he served on the Education, Agriculture and Environmental committees.

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.

Bud and wife, Michele Gran Photo courtesy of Saint Paul Pioneer Press

"Sharing a four-bedroom, one-bathroom house with 10 brothers and sisters taught me patience," Bud recalls. It also taught him to be satisfied with few resources. "We never had much, but we didn't feel deprived. However, when I was old enough to live on my own, I really appreciated all that I had!"

"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.)

(L to R) Jake, Drew, Michele, Bud and Nick in China.

Bud went on to earn a Master of Arts degree from the Hubert Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, with concentrations in International Economic Development and Public Administration, and a Juris Doctor degree from Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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.

Bud's motto: We have so much to learn from one another.
Every person is a unique composite of life's limitless opportunities,
with a fascinating story waiting to be told. Take time to listen!