Austin Snowbarger

Austin brings a unique combination of disaster and philanthropy experience to his work as senior manager of strategy and research at the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP).

Austin began his development and humanitarian career as an intern on the water, sanitation and hygiene program team at World Vision. He later spent two-and-a-half years living and working in Haiti in various roles with World Concern. Following Hurricane Matthew, Austin led a U.S. government-funded shelter recovery project in southern Haiti that included representing the organization in coordination meetings, developing implementation and monitoring plans, and managing staff across multiple offices.

Austin worked as a research assistant at Oxford Brookes University and contributed to research outputs for the Age and Disability Capacity Program that aimed to ensure older adults and people with disabilities are included during emergency responses. He has also worked independently, conducting analysis and evaluation synthesis for Tearfund U.K.’s Nepal earthquake and Typhoon Haiyan Philippine response programs.

Before joining CDP, Austin supported grantmaking and led learning and evaluation at NextFifty Initiative (NFI), a private foundation focused on improving the lives of older adults. Across multiple roles at NFI, Austin managed a seven-figure grant portfolio, led the development and monitoring of the foundation’s measures of impact, and built and implemented emergent learning tools to strengthen organizational learning.

Austin holds a master’s in development and emergency practice from Oxford Brookes University. His master’s specialization was in disasters, risks and shelter, and primary research included capacity development for disaster risk reduction and resilience in the Philippines. Austin has also completed coursework in program evaluation through Michigan State University.