Dartmouth's Jim Yong Kim Tapped to Lead World Bank

By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 16, 2012 12:16 PM CDT
Dartmouth's Jim Yong Kim Tapped to Lead World Bank
Jim Yong Kim, President Barack Obama's nominee for the next World Bank president, has been named to the job.   (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Jim Yong Kim, an American who is president of Dartmouth College, has been chosen to be the next president of the World Bank. His selection extends the United States' hold on the top job at the 187-nation development agency. Kim, a surprise nominee of President Obama, was selected in a vote by the World Bank's 25-member executive board. He'll succeed Robert Zoellick, who's stepping down after a five-year term.

Developing nations waged an unsuccessful challenge to Kim, 52, a physician and pioneer in treating HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in the developing world. Kim's selection marks a break from previous World Bank leaders who were typically political, legal, or economic figures. The World Bank raises money from its member nations and borrows from investors to provide low-cost loans to developing countries. (More World Bank stories.)

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