Fort Myers, Florida, June 20, 2022—ECHO, Inc., a nonprofit global development organization,
today announced that Dr. Abram Bicksler has been selected as ECHO’s next President and
Chief Executive Officer. David Erickson, who has served as President/CEO for the last seven of
his 12 years at ECHO, will continue leading through August. Dr. Bicksler will be joining ECHO in
early September.
Bicksler has more than 15 years of international experience, including five years of experience
as Director of ECHO’s Asia Regional Impact Center from 2013-2018. Most recently, Bicksler
has served as Agricultural Officer at the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United
Nations in Rome, Italy.
“Abram’s passion and strong leadership capacity are just what we need to lead ECHO into the
future,” said Doug Carlson, ECHO’s Board Chairman. “Abram has shown incredible
commitment over the last 10 years to improve the livelihoods of the small-scale farmers that
ECHO serves through his previous roles. His ability to lead teams of talented individuals will be
key to continuing the incredible growth that ECHO has seen over the last 40 years.” “I too
welcome Abram,” said ECHO’s current President, David Erickson, “and look forward to
partnering with him in a seamless transition for the global work of ECHO.”
“I am very excited to be rejoining the ECHO team,” said Dr. Bicksler. “I learned at ECHO Asia
and at FAO to appreciate our diversity of skills, experience, and passions and to give people the
freedom to use theirs to the best of their ability. I look forward to helping ECHO accomplish its
vision of honoring God by empowering the undernourished with sustainable hunger solutions
and propel its 40-year focus on identifying, verifying, disseminating, and monitoring innovative
ideas and hunger solutions to its diverse network around the globe.”
Bicksler earned his Doctorate and Master’s degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-
Champaign in Agroecology and Sustainable Cropping and completed his Bachelor’s degree at
Taylor University in Environmental Studies and Biology. As a leader and researcher, Dr.
Bicksler has been published in a number of journals including the International Journal of
Development Research; the Journal of Agricultural Studies; the Journal of Agriculture, Food
Systems, and Community Development; Experimental Agriculture; and, Acta Horticulturae.
While at the FAO, Bicksler guided agricultural research initiatives in multiple regions of the
world. Before serving in Rome, Bicksler led the ECHO Asia Impact Center’s international staff
team, coordinated and implemented Regional networking and training events, initiated research
culminating in multiple published studies, and grew the capacity of the ECHO Asia Seed Bank.
About ECHO
ECHO provides hope against hunger around the globe through agricultural training and
resources. Working through regional impact centers in Thailand, Tanzania, and Burkina Faso,
ECHO connects small-scale farmers, and those working to eliminate world hunger, with
essential resources, and each other. These resources include an online knowledge base of
practical information, experienced technical support, and an extensive seed bank focused on
highly beneficial underutilized plants. ECHO’s International Headquarters is located in Fort
Myers, FL. Visit ECHO on the Web at www.echonet.org or www.ECHOcommunity.org.
