David French was born in New Haven, Connecticut on May 27, 1940. He grew up in the Washington, D.C. area. He attended Swarthmore College, Stanford University (B.A.) and Harvard University (M.P.A., Ph.D.). David taught for a year at Lincoln University, PA (economics, including African economics) and later for four years at Johnson State College, VT (economics, including Vermont economics). Most of his career, though, was spent with development and humanitarian aid organizations, including the U.N. World Food Program, the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the consulting firm Arthur D. Little, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the Beijer Institute, the World Resources Institute, the International Fund for Agriculture and Development, and more. He served mostly in posts having to do with renewable energy and natural resources management. David published two books ("Working Communally," Basic Books, and "Everything is Bad for You," Sourcebooks) as well as articles in The New York Times Magazine, Commonweal, World Development, Public Policy, Natural Resources Forum, Africa Report, and other publications. David has two children and three grandchildren in Dublin, Ireland. He lives with his partner in Vermont.
