Roger Hale: On Ploughshares Fund, Non-Proliferation and Persistence

Outgoing Chair of the Board Roger Hale knows Ploughshares Fund just about as well as anyone can. He's been an integral part of organizational strategy since 1996, helping make the decision to streamline our funding areas and open a DC office. This week, Roger is stepping down as Chair of the Board to hand the reins over to Mary Lloyd Estrin. We sat down with him first to get his perspectives on this transition. 

Ploughshares Fund: You’ve been a prominent business leader, successful CEO and a member of Business Executives for National Security (BENS). What do you believe the business case is for nuclear non-proliferation? 

Roger Hale: It’s very simple: “nuclear war, or even one nuclear incident, would be bad for business.”  Imagine, for example, if India and Pakistan were to have a nuclear exchange: I guarantee you that no business person would consider that a plus for their business unless they were in the casket business.

PF: What is it about Ploughshares Fund that makes you give so much of your own time to ensure its success?

RH: It is very focused on reducing/eliminating nuclear weapons; for me, those have long been the most important issues in the world and Ploughshares Fund is very effective in pulling together the Peace and Security communities through both grants and action to greatly leverage our mission of nuclear reduction.

PF: You’ve accomplished a lot at Ploughshares Fund: helping raise almost $56 million since you’ve been chair, growing the endowment by 30%, hiring Joe Cirincione as board president and leading the opening of a new office in Washington, DC. What is the accomplishment that you’ve been most proud of?

RH: Beyond those mentioned, strengthening our board.

PF: Your successor as board chair is Mary Lloyd Estrin. You’ve served on the board with Mary for the last several years. What makes you think she’ll be a great board chair?

RH: Mary has been a long time board member and active supporter of Ploughshares Fund in many ways.  She has a fine sense of governance and is universally liked and respected by board and staff. She will be a fine Chair.

PF:  If you could say one more thing to supporters of Ploughshares Fund, what would it be?

RH: Persistence; it took hundreds of years of determined effort and our horrible Civil War to eliminate slavery in the Western world; there’s been great progress in reducing nuclear weapons from a peak of over 70,000 warheads to under 20,000 today.

Loyal supporters of Ploughshares Fund have made us a key player in this vital effort and hopefully will continue to do so.

Photo by Peter Fedewa