Rye Barcott is a social entrepreneur, investor, and the author of the memoir ''It Happened on the Way to War''. He co-founded

Carolina for Kibera Founded in 2001 by Rye Barcott, Salim Mohamed, and the late Tabitha Atieno Festo, CFK Africa (previously Carolina for Kibera) is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) based in the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya. Re ...

, Double Time Capital, and

With Honor With Honor Action is a - 501(c)4 nonprofit in the United States, led by military veterans that focuses on promoting and advancing principled veteran leadership in order to reduce political polarization. With Honor Action's mission is to promote ...

Biography

Early life and education

Barcott's mother, Donna Schwartz-Barcott, is a nurse and anthropologist who teaches at the

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of the state of Rhode Island ...

. His father, T.P. Schwartz-Barcott, attended

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...

on a

Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

scholarship and went on to serve in the Marines'

3rd Reconnaissance Battalion The 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion (3rd Recon) conducts amphibious and ground reconnaissance in support of the 3rd Marine Division and Marine Forces Pacific (MarForPac), operating in the commander's areas of influence. The Battalion is based o ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. His father left the Marines as a captain after receiving a

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

with a valor device and a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

. His parents met as graduate students at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

. Barcott attended

East Greenwich High School East Greenwich High School is a public secondary school located in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, U.S. The school serves students in grades 9–12 in the East Greenwich Public Schools system. EGHS is the highest-performing public high school in t ...

. He graduated in 2001

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

from the

. He attended

UNC UNC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to: Education * University of Northern California (disambiguation), which may refer to: ** University of Northern California (Santa Rosa), in Petaluma, California, United States ** University of Nor ...

on a four-year

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through comb ...

NROTC The Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) program is a college-based, commissioned officer training program of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. Origins A pilot Naval Reserve unit was established in September 19 ...

Scholarship. Barcott graduated in 2009 with an MPA and MBA from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, where he was a

Center for Public Leadership The Center for Public Leadership (CPL) is an academic research center at Harvard University that provides teaching, research and training in the practical skills of leadership for people in government, nonprofits, and business. Located at Harvard ...

Social Entrepreneurship Fellow and George Leadership Fellow.

President Drew Faust appointed him to a two-year term on the

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Endowment's Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility, and he served as a founding member of the movement to create an

MBA Oath MBA Oath is a voluntary student-led pledge that asks graduating MBAs to commit towards the creation of value "responsibly and ethically". As of January 2010, the initiative is driven by a coalition of MBA students, graduates and advisors, including ...

. He was elected as a member of the

Alumni Association Board of Directors in 2016.

Career

Military service

Barcott served five years on active duty in the Marine Corps, where he attained the rank of captain and deployed to

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

, the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

, and

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. In 2006, he provided written testimony to the

Iraq Study Group The Iraq Study Group (ISG) also known as the Baker-Hamilton Commission was a ten-person bipartisan panel appointed on March 15, 2006, by the United States Congress, that was charged with assessing the situation in Iraq and the US-led Iraq War and ...

and authored an article about the Iraqi Military Intelligence Academy in

Proceedings In academia and librarianship, conference proceedings is a collection of academic papers published in the context of an academic conference or workshop. Conference proceedings typically contain the contributions made by researchers at the confere ...

, the professional journal of the U.S. Navy.

ABC World News with Charles Gibson ''ABC World News Tonight'' (titled ''ABC World News Tonight with David Muir'' for its weeknight broadcasts since September 2014) is the flagship daily evening television news program of ABC News, the news division of the American Broadcasting ...

covered his work in Kibera and his military service in Iraq and named him a Person of the Week and a 2006 Person of the Year. The ABC World News story quoted him encouraging young Americans to expose themselves "to how the majority of the world lives … and I think it'll make you a lot more appreciative of what you've got … make you a better American and a better global citizen."

Social enterprises

While an undergraduate at the

in 2001, Barcott founded

(CFK) in Kenya with Salim Mohamed and Tabitha Atieno Festo. CFK started as a small inter-ethnic soccer program and medical clinic run out of Festo's ten-by-ten foot shack. Today it is an affiliated entity of the

. Barcott is the Chair of the Board of CFK. CFK's Advisory Council includes former U.S. Secretary of State

Madeleine Albright Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic ...

, former CDC Director Dr.

William Roper William Roper ( – 4 January 1578) was an English lawyer and member of Parliament. The son of a Kentish gentleman, he married Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas More. He wrote a highly regarded biography of his father-in-law. Life William Roper ...

and the former CEO of the Kenya Medical Association Stellah Bosire. Barcott co-founded

in 2017 with

David Gergen David Richmond Gergen (born May 9, 1942) is an American political commentator and former presidential adviser who served during the administrations of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. He is currently a senior political ...

and other veterans.

is a cross-partisan movement led by veterans focused on promoting and advancing principled veteran leadership in order to reduce polarization. With Honor Action's advisory board includes post-9/11 veterans, Gold Star family members, and other prominent American public figures.

Investing

Barcott and

Dan McCready Daniel Kent McCready (born July 18, 1983) is an American veteran, entrepreneur, civil rights activist, and former political candidate from Charlotte, North Carolina. He served in the United States Marine Corps, achieving the rank of captain. M ...

co-founded Double Time Capital in 2013 as an impact investment firm focused on clean energy and sustainability. As of February 2017, "Double Time has financed 36 solar energy projects, which collectively produce roughly 10% of North Carolina's solar power and power around 30,000 homes in the state." At that time, North Carolina was the second ranked state in the United States based on the cumulative amount of solar electric capacity installed. Double Time Capital also invested in growth-oriented companies with sustainable products and services. Prior to forming Double Time Capital, Barcott worked as a Special Advisor to the CEO and Chairman of

Duke Energy Duke Energy Corporation is an American electric power and natural gas holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Overview Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Duke Energy owns 58,200 megawatts of base-load and peak generation in ...

, Jim Rogers. Barcott formed and led an investment team for the CEO that focused on renewable energy and disruptive growth opportunities.

Public speaking

Barcott delivered the 2007 commencement address to the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health The UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health is the public health school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and is accr ...

. He was the 2018 commencement speaker for the

. As an inaugural

TED TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depa ...

Fellow, he gave a TED speech on "The Power of Participatory Development." He is an annual speaker at the

Battles Won Academy for Semper Fidelis high school student All-Americans. He is represented by the American Program Bureau and frequently speaks at colleges and high schools.

Boards

Barcott serves on the Boards of the

National Veterans Memorial and Museum The National Veterans Memorial and Museum (NVMM) is the United States' national museum for veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. The museum is located in Columbus, Ohio, along the Scioto River between Franklinton and Downtown Columbus. The museum ...

National Democratic Institute The National Democratic Institute (NDI), or National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, is a non-profit American NGO that works with partners in developing countries to increase the effectiveness of democratic institutions. The NDI's ...

, Veterans Bridge Home, The U.S. Institute for Peace, and the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation. He previously served on the board of the international development organization

World Learning World Learning is a 501(c)(3) international nonprofit organization that focuses on international development, education, and exchange programs. Based in Brattleboro, Vermont, World Learning "unlocks the potential of people to address critical gl ...

and its accredited institution the School for International Training, and returned to that board in October 2020. President Barack Obama appointed Barcott to the

J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board The J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board was established by the United States Congress for the purpose of supervising the Fulbright Program and certain programs authorized by the Fulbright-Hays Act and for the purpose of selecting stude ...

as a representative of the veteran community.

Published work

Barcott is the author of the memoir ''It Happened on the Way to War'' (

Bloomsbury Publishing Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. It is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index. Bloomsbury's head office is located in Bloomsbury, an area of the London Borough of Camden. It has a U ...

). The book's dedication to

Carolina For Kibera Founded in 2001 by Rye Barcott, Salim Mohamed, and the late Tabitha Atieno Festo, CFK Africa (previously Carolina for Kibera) is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) based in the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya. Re ...

cofounders Salim Mohamed and Tabitha Atieno Festo includes a phrase that captures the central theme of the book: "Talent is universal; opportunity is not." In 2001, Barcott co-edited with Dr. Carolyn Pumphrey ''Armed Conflict in Africa'', a book that analyzed the sources of violence in Africa. His post-9/11 letters with Salim Mohamed were published in Andrew Carroll's
War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars
' (Scribner, 2001). He contributed to ''Passion and Purpose'', ''27 Views of Charlotte'', and ''65 Successful Harvard Business School Application Essays''. His writing has appeared in

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

, and

TIME Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

. ''It Happened on the Way to War'' was one of four books selected for the TED 2011 Book Club, and was named best nonfiction title in 2011 by the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association. In 2011, Reader's Digest named the book as one of four top nonfiction titles of the year.

Honors

The U.S. Department of Defense awarded Barcott with the

Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal The Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal (MOVSM) is a military award which was created under Executive Order 12830 by George H. W. Bush on January 9, 1993. The medal was designed by the Institute of Heraldry and was first issued in Decem ...

. ABC World News named him a Person of the Year. The

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...

named him a

Young Global Leader Forum of Young Global Leaders, or Young Global Leaders (YGL), was created by Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum. The YGL, a non-profit organization managed from Geneva, Switzerland, is under the supervision of the Swiss government ...

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

presented Barcott and his classmates Alex Ellis, Neil Wagle, and Kate Wattson with the Dean’s Award for Service to the School and Society.

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

awarded him a Doctorate of Humane Letters in 2016. Voices for National Service awarded him with the 2022 National Service Advocate of the Year award for "exemplary determination, creativity, and results in building support for national service among our nation’s leaders."

Personal life

He is the husband of Dr. Tracy Barcott, a child psychologist. They live in North Carolina and have three children.

References

External links

Carolina for KiberaHarvard Profile''It Happened on the Way to War''
*
ABC World News Person of the YearFOX News Power Player of the WeekMorning Joe interviewFOX News profileJim Fallows Atlantic Monthly Book Review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barcott, Rye 1979 births Living people American humanitarians American male non-fiction writers American memoirists American expatriates in Kenya United States Marine Corps personnel of the Iraq War Harvard Business School alumni Social entrepreneurs 21st-century American businesspeople United States Marine Corps officers University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Harvard Kennedy School alumni American military writers American chief executives People from Rhode Island People from Charlotte, North Carolina American investors Renewable energy commercialization Businesspeople from Charlotte, North Carolina