In 2015, Chemonics marks 40 years of advancing our development mission, of partnering with international and local organizations and clients, and of delivering lasting impact for our beneficiaries. Looking back at my 22 years with Chemonics, I am proud of many things. I am proud of the work we have done to improve people’s lives. I’m proud of the partnerships we have built, locally and internationally.

And I am proud to have worked with so many wonderful people, whether it is our beneficiaries, our partners, our clients, or our employees. We all know that development is very much a person-to-person business. Yes, we often speak in terms of eliminating poverty, ensuring human rights worldwide, or fighting climate change, but at the heart of all of those lofty goals and big ideas is improving the lives of individual people, as well as their families and communities.

We know that it is our mission of improving people’s lives that drives our global staff. I am inspired every day by their dedication to that mission. I am also grateful and humbled every day for the opportunity to lead such a talented group.

But I am grateful to so many others as well. To our clients, who have believed in us and chosen us to partner with them in these critical efforts. To our own partners, local and international, who bring rich knowledge, technical depth, and local expertise to our teams. And to our beneficiaries, whose unique experiences and viewpoints continually drive us to deliver better and more effective solutions.

We are excited to celebrate this important milestone. Over the coming months, look for more blog posts, articles, and social media from myself and others at Chemonics sharing what this means to us!

Susanna Mudge is the president and CEO of Chemonics International.