Ambassador Tony Hall will be joining us on Saturday morning for a conversation around “Jesus and Congress”. After 24 years of service to the Third District of Ohio, he has a rich perspective on Capitol Hill and how this influence can be used for the good of the world. Office Hours are now in session.
What song is at the top of your playlist?
Nessun Dorma (I enjoy the versions by Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli)
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A professional football player
What is the best piece of either personal or professional advice you’ve gotten?
I met Mother Teresa a number of times. When speaking of how we could possibly reach all of the hurting in the world, she told me “do the thing in front of you”. I’ve never forgotten it.
Do you have a favorite quote or scripture verse that motivates and inspires you?
Matthew 4:4 : Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God”
and
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house you will build for me?
Where will my resting place be?
Has not my hand made all these things,
and so they came into being?”
declares the Lord.
“These are the ones I look on with favor:
those who are humble and contrite in spirit,
and who tremble at my word.
Do you have a website or blog to share with our readers?
I would like to share the work of the Alliance to End Hunger, the organization for whom I serve as Executive Director Emeritus: http://www.alliancetoendhunger.org
More about Ambassador Hall:
Three times nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, Ambassador Tony P. Hall is a leading advocate for hunger relief programs and improving human rights in the world. Ambassador Hall serves as Executive Director Emeritus of the Alliance to End Hunger. As such, Ambassador Hall acts as an emissary at meetings with leading policymakers and international officials, builds relationships with Alliance members, and speaks on issues of food security at conferences around the country. Ambassador Hall meets regularly with Members of Congress to encourage them to become more actively engaged on hunger issues – especially by taking leadership for a Hunger Free Community program in their own district or state. Ambassador Hall also leads the Alliance’s engagement with the global Alliance Against Hunger and Malnutrition through the National Alliance Partnership Program.
Ambassador Hall served as the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome, Italy, from 2002 to 2005. Prior to his diplomatic service, Ambassador Hall represented the Third District of Ohio (Dayton) in the U.S. Congress for twenty-four years, their longest serving representative in history. During his tenure, he authored legislation that supported food aid, child survival, basic education, primary health care, micro-enterprise, and development assistance in the world’s poorest countries. A founding member of the Select Committee on Hunger, Hall served as its chairman from 1989 to 1993. In response to the abolishment of the Hunger Committee in April 1993, he fasted for 22 days to draw attention to the needs of hungry people in the United States and around the world. Ambassador Hall founded and chaired the Congressional Hunger Center, a non-governmental organization committed to ending hunger through training and educational programs for emerging leaders. Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Ambassador Hall and his wife Janet live in Arlington, Virginia, where they raised two children.