Kenneth M. Quinn

Kenneth M. Quinn (born May 26, 1942) is the former President of the World Food Prize Foundation and a former career U.S. Foreign Service Officer. He was the president of the foundation for 20 years from January 1, 2000 to January 3, 2020. Before assuming that role, Quinn spent 32 years working for the U.S. State Department. He has served as the United States Ambassador to Cambodia, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, as well as a member of the National Security Council staff at the White House.

Biography Quinn was born in New York City in 1942, and he attended high school in Dubuque, Iowa. Quinn received his undergraduate degree from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. He went on to earn graduate degrees in international relations from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the University of Maryland. He and his wife, Le Son, have three children. He later served elsewhere in Southeast Asia as well as in Vienna and Washington, DC. Quinn is fluent in Vietnamese and acted as interpreter for President Gerald Ford. He also is a three-time recipient of the American Foreign Service Association's Rivkin and Herter Awards for courage in challenging policy.