Kebede has dedicated his life to long-term, sustainable agricultural and rural development in his native country of Ethiopia, by empowering rural people to take control of their own destiny and end hunger and poverty. Kebede has almost 30 years of experience with government, nongovernmental, and bilateral organizations, working in rural development, specifically, water and sanitation, natural resource management, agriculture and food security, value chain, and private-sector development. Kebede started the iDE Ethiopia Program in March 2005, helped it become a full-fledged country program with legal registration in July 2007, and served as the Country Director through 2017. Kebede is committed to a participatory and empowering mindset and approach, where farmers are partners and customers in the development process, rather than beneficiaries and dependents. Kebede holds a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development from Imperial College at Wye (UK), a Postgraduate Diploma in Water Supply and Sanitation from Loughborough University (UK), and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Applied Sociology from Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia).