Board member

Bete is the President and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Project Mercy, a US-based and registered 501© (3) non-profit organization implementing programs designed to eliminate poverty in rural communities.

Project Mercy started operations in Africa nearly forty years ago providing aid (shelter, food, health care, education, and resettlement assistance) to refugees in seven countries.  For the past twenty-four years, the organization has focused its efforts exclusively in Ethiopia with development programs that lift communities out of poverty.

Prior to joining Project Mercy, Bete has over thirty years of experience with IBM in Information Technology.  His last post was as the Vice President of Software for IBM’s Growth Markets, headquartered in Shanghai, China. He was responsible for managing a multibillion dollar business and leading over five thousand employees, in more than 140 countries, across Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Latin America.  Bete was a member of IBM’s Growth and Transformation Team (GTT) – a selected group of senior IBM executives that are change-agents for transformation and growth of the company.  Following a two-year sabbatical from IBM to serve in Project Mercy, Bete retired from IBM in mid-2016 and now holds the responsibilities as President of Project Mercy Inc.

Education: Bete holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Systems Analysis from Taylor University and a Masters in Management from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.