Worku Gachou is Vice President of Inclusive Impact & Sustainability at Visa, where he  leads the company’s efforts to drive inclusive and equitable economic growth in North  America. 

Prior to Visa, Mr. Gachou was a senior political appointee at the U.S. International  Development Finance Corporation (DFC) where he served as a key adviser to the agency’s  Chief Executive Officer and oversaw a regional portfolio of over $5 billion in impact  investments. Before joining DFC, Mr. Gachou was a policy advisor in Covington & Burling  LLP’s Public Policy and Government Affairs practice. At Covington, he advised corporate  clients on various complex matters, including high-level political advocacy, mergers and  acquisitions diligence, and market entry strategies. Prior to Covington, Mr. Gachou was a  senior staffer on the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives  where he managed the Africa, environmental, and conservation portfolio. During his time  at the Committee, he helped draft several landmark pieces of legislation that eventually  became law, including the Electrify Africa Act, the END Wildlife Trafficking Act, and the  reauthorization of the African Growth and Opportunity Act. 

Mr. Gachou is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service,  a board member of Development Gateaway, and a Term Member of the Council on  Foreign Relations. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from