Mohamed Abdel-Kader

Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Director for the Innovation, Technology, And Research (ITR) Hub

Christopher (Chris) Burns

Agency Chief Digital Development Officer and Director, Technology Division

Christopher Burns is the Chief Digital Development Officer (CDDO) for USAID and the Director for the Technology Division within the Innovation, Technology, and Research (ITR) Hub.

In the CDDO role, he coordinates and tracks programmatic Digital Development investments across the Agency; represents USAID’s programmatic digital technology work across the interagency and with external stakeholders and partners; and guides the adaptation of the Agency’s programs as the digital landscape evolves. He also chairs the Digital Sector Council that meets monthly with representatives from across USAID’s bureaus and independent offices to discuss and coordinate on Digital Development programming.

In the role of Director for Technology, Christopher leads technical teams focused on Digital Finance, Development Informatics, Digital Inclusion, Emerging Technology such as Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and advanced data and geospatial analysis, and the role they play in driving an inclusive digital economy. In his more than twelve years with USAID, he has spearheaded and served as technical lead for a number of public-private partnerships, including the Digital Impact Alliance, the GSMA Connected Women Program and the Alliance for Affordable Internet. He also spearheaded USAID’s first-ever Digital Strategy released in April 2020.

Prior to USAID, Christopher spent nearly ten years with the Peace Corps, as Program and Training Officer for Peace Corps/Niger, Country Desk Officer for Central Asia, and Agroforestry Advisor in Ghana. He has supervisory and management experience and technical background in digital technology, natural resources management, agroforestry, food security, gender equality, and solar power design/installation. All told, he has 25 years of international development experience, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, including 6.5 years living on the continent.

Christopher holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Development and Environmental Management from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York and a Master of Science in Development Management from American University in Washington, DC.

Ambassador Dr. John Nkengasong

Dr. John N. Nkengasong is an Ambassador at Large and serves as the U.S. Department of State’s U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Health Diplomacy. In this role, Dr. Nkengasong oversees the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief – PEPFAR; which is the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history, prevent millions of HIV infections, save lives, and make progress toward ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Previously, Dr. Nkengasong served as the first director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Through his leadership, a framework for transforming Africa CDC into a full autonomous health agency of the Africa Union was established. As Africa CDC director, Dr. Nkengasong also led the COVID-19 response in Africa, coordinating with heads of state and governments across the continent, among other achievements to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped secure 400 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines at the height of vaccine scarcity. During his tenure, he was appointed as one of the World Health Organization’s special envoys on COVID-19 preparedness and response. Dr. Nkengasong also served as acting deputy principal director of the Center for Global Health, as well as the Division of Global HIV and TB’s chief of the International Laboratory Branch at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As a world-renowned public health leader, Dr. Nkengasong’s contributions to global health have been recognized by numerous prestigious awards and honors including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 2020 Global Goalkeeper Award; Time Magazine, 2021 Time 100 List of Most Influential People; Fortune magazine, 2021 World’s 50 Greatest Leaders; Bloomberg, 2021 Bloomberg 50 Influential People; and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Shepard Award and William Watson Medal of Excellence. In 2022, he became the first laureate of the Virchow Prize for Global Health. Dr. Nkengasong also holds the rare honor of being knighted by the governments of Sénégal, Côte d’Ivoire, and Cameroon.

J. Stephen Morrison

Dr. J. Stephen Morrison is a Senior Vice President at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where he has directed the Global Health Policy Center since he founded it in September 2008. From 2000 until 2008, he directed the CSIS Africa Program, while also launching the CSIS Task Force on HIV/AIDS (2001-2007), co-chaired by Senators John Kerry and Bill Frist. During the Clinton administration, he served on the Policy Planning Staff, under Secretaries of State Christopher and Albright, and prior to that, conceptualized and founded USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives. He served in the U.S. embassy in Addis Ababa 1992-1993, directing its transitional work promoting democracy and good governance. From 1987-1991, he was senior staff on the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Howard Wolpe (D-MI.)

In recent years at CSIS, Morrison has directed several high-level commissions, most notably the CSIS Commission on Strengthening America’s Health Security (begun in 2018, ongoing), and the CSIS Task Force on Women’s and Family Health (2015-2017.) He is the author of diverse analytic reports and commentaries, a frequent voice on global health, U.S. foreign policy, and international security, across a range of media. During 2021-2022, he has been the James S. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor at the Miller Center at the University of Virginia. He also serves on advisor boards at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. His hour-long award-winning documentary film, The New Barbarianism (2017) focuses on the surge of violence against the health sector in over two dozen conflicts. A feature length documentary, The Pandemic Paradox, on the course of HIV/AIDS over the past 40 years and the risks of regression, compounded by the coronavirus pandemic, was released in 2020. In 2022, he created the CSIS video series, ‘Ukraine: The Human Price of War.’ Morrison received his PhD in political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a graduate, magna cum laude, of Yale College.

Han Kang

Han Kang is honored to work with Washington and Mission colleagues in efforts toward ending the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. A senior-level officer with the U.S. Foreign Service, he previously served as the Acting Deputy Mission Director for USAID/Burma and led USAID health teams in Burma, Ethiopia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, and Zambia. Han received a Distinguished Honor Award from USAID, Superior Honor Award from the U.S. Department of State, and two Meritorious Honor Awards from USAID for his accomplishments in development and humanitarian assistance. Before joining USAID in 2007, he worked with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate and control disease outbreaks in the United States-Mexico border region. Han co-authored a book on HIV/AIDS in South Asia and articles on global health and development. He began his career by providing HIV/AIDS care in clinics serving ethnic minority communities. Han graduated from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine as a Fulbright Scholar, Princeton University as a Truman Scholar, and the University of California-Irvine as a Regents’ Scholar. Born and raised in Taiwan and educated in Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, Han is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and Spanish

September 2022

Objective 1:  Building an Inclusive Community of Former USAID Staff

The Membership Committee expanded the number of registrants and contributing members.  This year, UAA registrants increased by 4% to 1,248 and contributing members increased by 5% to 399. This increase is due to multiple factors, including recruitment efforts with (i) USAID employees at two FSI Job Search/Transition Programs, resulting in eight new members; (ii) USAID retirees at the April 7^th USAID Retirement Ceremony, resulting in six new members; and (iii) Afghan FSNs evacuated to the United States, resulting in both new members and registrants. MemCom is now coordinating with the DACOR on UAA co-sponsoring an autumn ‘USAID at DACOR Day’ to encourage UAA as well as DACOR membership.

Diversity in the monthly Alumni Profiles improved. Of 8 people recognized this year, there was gender equality, 1 was of minority ethnicity, and 3 were FSNs; we will focus on improving GS alumni recognition next year. Diversity in the Awards Program, in terms of gender and employment category, was also good. This year, two female members have been selected for the UAA Alumni of the Year award, whereas last year, two male members were chosen for the awards.

Action to improve the ratio of contributors to registrants continued throughout 2022 by reminding registrants of the benefits of contributor membership and encouraging attendance at the annual social events, including Winterfest (hybrid: 64 attendance, including 39 in person and 25 virtual members/guests from 8 States & DC); Spring Reception (hybrid: 68 attendance, including 49 in person and 19 virtual members/guests from 9 States, DC, & 2 foreign countries); Summer Picnic (no WiFi access: 69 attendance, including 69 in person only members/guests).

The Public Outreach Committee’s focus is to increase UAA presence outside the DC Metropolitan area. This year, the Committee successfully completed a Charter for the Committee on Regional Activities, approved by the Board in March. Target regions for establishing pilot Regional Chapters were adjusted: Florida and New England chapters are underway; we’re exploring setting up a chapter in New Mexico instead of the Midwest where there is an insufficient number of alumni to support a chapter; and we’re in discussion with a leader for a chapter in California. The Committee developed material for use in a “speakers kit” by UAA members to reach out to corporations, nongovernmental organizations, and academic groups concerning USAID.  The Committee is currently undergoing staff changes – volunteers are welcome! At AFSA’s request, a member gave a series of talks to an NGO, Road Scholars, from 25 states on USAID and U.S. foreign assistance. Lastly, the Committee is also organizing and moderating a panel discussion at the AGM on “Partnerships for Public Education on Foreign Assistance.”

The AGM Committee reviewed 2021 feedback for guidance on planning the 2022 AGM. Among the findings were that sessions need to be more interactive using dialogue or debate format rather than long, complex panel discussions with speakers. Respondents strongly favored having an in-person meeting, with the capability for remote participation as well. Planning for the 2022 agenda is well underway for a hybrid AGM with the in-person meeting at the Center for Global Development (CGD) on October 28, 2022. The agenda includes keynote address by USAID Deputy Administrator Paloma Adams-Allen; UAA special Lifetime Achievement Recognition for former Administrator Peter McPherson; two sessions on USAID’s new “localization” policy; presentation by UAA Co-Chairs on the UAA 2022 progress report; a session on Public Outreach through UAA regional chapters; and announcement and presentation of the UAA Alumni of the Year awards.

Objective 2: Supporting USAID Professional Development and Institutional Capacity 

The USAID/UAA Mentoring Program contributes to the development of Agency leaders by providing overseas Foreign Service Officers (mentees) with leadership, management, and career guidance from experienced USAID Alumni, who serve as mentors.  In Cohort 11, the program had partnering arrangements with all five regional Bureaus, the SLG, PPL, and GH.  The Program reached out to the Payne Fellowship Network so that they were aware of the opportunity to participate.  As always, the Program operated in close partnership with USAID through coordinators in HCTM.

Since its inception, the UAA program is estimated to have provided mentoring to approximately 335 USAID FSOs.    Over 65 mentor/mentee pairs were matched in Cohort 11, which ran from Jan – June 2022. Training for mentors and mentees was provided as the cohort began.

This popular program is now recognized by USAID leadership as a valuable Agency-wide resource for FS officers posted overseas.

Following a suggestion at a Development Issues Committee discussion with USAID’s PPL Bureau in 2020 the UAA and PPL began exploring possibilities for UAA members to provide counsel and “coaching” on a voluntary basis to Missions and PPL units throughout the Program Cycle, beginning with the CDCS process.  In 2021 the UAA solicited interest from members in participating in such an effort and a list of 23 UAA volunteers was established and shared with PPL.  PPL simultaneously solicited interest from Missions in establishing such a “coaching” relationship with UAA volunteers.  A proposed “pilot effort” to launch a coaching relationship between the Timor Leste Mission and a UAA volunteer was suspended pending necessary revisions to the “Gratuitous Services Agreement” to be negotiated between the UAA and USAID.  The UAA will nonetheless continue to discuss the viability of this initiative depending on the interest of USAID.

Objective 3: Increasing Understanding of and Support for International Development 

Development Issues Discussions: During 2022 the Development Issues Committee sponsored seven 1 ½ hour virtual discussions on Zoom on topics of interest to contributing UAA members. Topics included the Northern Triangle, Climate Change, Localization, Public-Private Partnerships, COVID-19 and Health Systems, Food Security and the New Africa Strategy. Each discussion was led by 2-3 outside “guest” specialists, usually including a current or former USAID staffer and specialists from the NGO or private sector communities. Going “virtual” allowed UAA members outside the DC area to participate.  The discussions attracted between 30 and 50 contributing members, depending on the topic. There was no budget cost to the UAA.

UAA Book Club Reviews, September 2021 to June 2022

• World Bank Task Force on Higher Education and Society, Higher Education in Developing Countries, Peril and Promise, 2000, reviewed on Zoom by Joe Ryan in Sept. (8 people).
• The New Yorker, “New Economics Curriculum” and The Economist, “Instant Economics–The Real-Time Revolution” in economic analysis were reviewed on Zoom by Tony Chan with help from Jerre Manarolla in Nov. (12 people).
• John Norris, The Enduring Struggle:  The History of the Agency for International Development and America’s Uneasy Transformation of the World, 2021, was reviewed on Zoom by Alex Shakow and the author, John Norris, in Dec. (24 people).
• Manual Hinds, Playing Monopoly with the Devil: Dollarization and Domestic Currencies in Developing Countries, was reviewed on Zoom by Joe Ryan on March (7 people).

Copies of the reviews are available on the Book Club Reviews section of the UAA website.

Development Dialogues at DACOR: UAA and DACOR have collaborated on hosting a series of presentations at the DACOR-Bacon House on issues of interest to both UAA and DACOR members. Due to COVID, sessions were held virtually. In the first five months of 2022, five DDDs were scheduled. Due to the advantages of the virtual link, these DDDs the virtual and hybrid sessions consistently attract 100+ attendees and stimulate considerable audience participation. The challenge is to find interesting speakers who will also be of great interest to the audience. About ten speakers were planned for 2022, about the same number who have appeared in recent years. There is no budget cost to the UAA.

History of USAID: It was a major UAA accomplishment that we raised funds from our members to engage a talented author (John Norris) for this independent history of USAID, to assist the author as he was doing his research, and to help ensure that this book was published by a well-known commercial publisher. We made copies of the book (The Enduring Struggle – The History of the U.S. Agency for International Development and America’s Uneasy Transformation of the World) available to key USAID offices, 16 Payne Fellows, key Congressional staff, major university international development programs, and selected influential individuals. We worked with the publisher and the author to promote reviews and greater interest in the book and are encouraging the publisher and USAID to smooth the path for large numbers of AID staff – particularly recent hires – to have access to copies of the book. We sent 21 copies to the major Historically Black Colleges and Universities in hope of increasing interest in USAID.

Oral History Project with ADST: UAA has helped arrange two grants from USAID to ADST to permit ADST to cover its costs associated with increasing the number of oral histories of USAID retirees – FSOs, FSNs and GS staff. These retirees reflect as much as possible the diversity of AID staff. Five UAA volunteers are interviewing in collaboration with ADST. Once edited by the interviewees, the transcripts of the four-to-eight-hour interviews are made available on the ADST and Library of Congress websites. At least 25 interviews will be completed each year during the three-year life of the USAID-ADST grant. There is no budget cost to the UAA.

Objective 4:  Organizing and Sustaining UAA’s Structure and Operations 

IRS 501c3 status maintained:  2021 IRS forms 1099 issued and mailed to IRS and payees by deadline and 2021 IRS form 990 information return submitted by deadline.

Annual Operating Budget approved at January EC meeting and updates approved 3/3, 4/5, and 6/16. Budget for History Project added to budget approved on 6/16.  Budget and Finance Reports issued in advance of each EC meeting. Current budget is posted on executive section of the website.

Nominating Committee formed and slate developed for 2022 election. Reports to Board described how continuity and diversity considerations informed the development of the slate. Committee Roles and Responsibilities codified and posted on Executive Committee portion of website. Abbreviated version listing current committees posted on public portion of website.

Updated contract developed and signed in August with Systems Manager. (This position replaced the Administrative Assistant position.)

Parameters for follow-on contract with Web Consultant approved by Board.

List of UAA Practices and Procedures to codify approved by Board, and Core Processes developed, approved, and posted to the Executive Committee portion of the website for:  What Needs Board Approval; Dues Payment; Personal Services Contracts; Nominations and Elections; and Reporting, Planning and Budgeting.

Bylaws changes approved to clarify that any Board member may be the alternate disburser of funds; allow the Board to appoint non-Board members as Treasurer and/or Secretary of the Association; and reflect a more flexible committee structure.

Executive Committee Minutes are routinely posted to the public section of the website. Executive Calendar is in active use.

A Working Group examined existing website and member database software, considered alternatives, and determined to retain existing software, but to add Survey Monkey.

Paloma Adams-Allen is the USAID Deputy Administrator for Management and Resources. She was formerly the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Inter-American Foundation and, before her time at the IAF, served as Senior Director for global private-sector-partnerships initiatives at Winrock International.  She worked at the Organization of American States in several hemispheric development policy, programming. and leadership roles, at the law firm Coudert Brothers and the advocacy organization Caribbean-Central American Action, and at USAID as Deputy Assistant Administrator and Senior Advisor in the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean from 2010 to 2016.  Ms. Adams-Allen attended Brown University and Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. She holds a juris doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center.

Masood Ahmed is president of the Center for Global Development. He joined the Center in January 2017, capping a 35-year career driving economic development policy initiatives relating to debt, aid effectiveness, trade, and global economic prospects at major international institutions including the IMF, World Bank, and DFID.  Ahmed joined CGD from the IMF, where he served for eight years as director, Middle East and Central Asia Department, earning praise from Managing Director Christine Lagarde as a “visionary leader.” In that role, he oversaw the Fund’s operations in 32 countries, and managed relationships with key national and regional policy makers and stakeholders. In previous years, he also served as the IMF’s director of External Relations, and deputy director of the Policy Development and Review Department.  From 2003-2006, Ahmed served as director general, Policy and International at the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID). In that role, he was responsible for advising UK ministers on development issues and overseeing the UK’s relationship with international development institutions such as the World Bank.  Ahmed also worked at the World Bank from 1979-2000 in various managerial and economist positions, rising to become Vice President, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management. In that role he led the HIPC (heavily indebted poor countries) debt relief initiative, which has to- date brought relief from debt burdens to 36 of the world’s poorest nations.  Born and raised in Pakistan, Ahmed moved to London in 1971 to study at the LSE where he obtained a BSc Honors as well as an MSc Econ with distinction.  Ahmed is a leading expert on Middle East economics, having served on the Advisory Board of the LSE Middle East Center, as well as on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Middle East and North Africa.

Michelle Bekkering currently serves as Director of National Engagement at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC); a bipartisan organization that advocates for America’s global leadership. Prior to joining USGLC, Bekkering was nominated by the President and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Assistant Administrator for Economic Growth, Education and Environment at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) which later transitioned into the Bureau for Development, Democracy and Innovation. A policy expert, Bekkering’s diverse portfolio included democracy, rights and governance; economic growth and e-commerce; education; the environment; innovation, technology and research; and trade and regulatory reform. A passionate advocate for women’s empowerment and equality, Bekkering was a leading architect of the White House led Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative (W-GDP); a whole of U.S. Government initiative to economically empower 50 million women by 2025. Prior to joining USAID, Bekkering served at the International Republican Institute. During her tenure at IRI, Bekkering provided leadership on global democracy, rights and governance initiatives, including serving as IRI’s country director based in Indonesia and the Director of the Women’s Democracy Network. Bekkering has served in numerous positions in the U.S. Government. In addition to her service at USAID, she served in the National Security Council under President George W. Bush and worked on Capitol Hill as an aide to Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (CA-46).

Rolando Bogran is currently the Executive Director for the National Foundation for the Development of Honduras (FUNADEH). Rolando supervises four department heads and is responsible for the foundation´s overall operation; 134 employees, working at either headquarters, or any of the four regional offices throughout Honduras; and its annual operating budget of $3.5M. Rolando presents the Foundation´s Board of Directors monthly reports, including those of the eight social programs it is implementing, at the Board´s monthly meetings. FUNADEH was established in 1983 by Honduran private sector leaders, with a profound sense of social responsibility. Their focus was to create a foundation that would dedicate its efforts to the social and economic development of Honduras by providing those individuals, which lacked the resources and/or opportunities, with the necessary training to enter the workforce or to become entrepreneurs themselves. Over the past twenty years, FUNADEH has dedicated its efforts towards the implementation of social programs and projects, in some of the most vulnerable communities in Honduras. During those years, FUNADEH has supported microenterprise activities in more than eighty communities, receiving support from several international donors including the World Bank. In 2014 FUNADEH received financing from USAID via Counterpart International and in 2015 FUNADEH received a direct grant from USAID, for the Genesis project, with a focus on maintaining and creating active Youth Outreach Centers. One of these centers´ strategies was, and continues to be, the prevention of youth violence by providing alternative activities for youth in communities that were (and are) severely affected by gang violence, within seven major Honduran cities. There are now sixty-five such centers, with most of them self-sustaining by charging fees for services and using volunteer labor from the Honduran private sector. During his career, Rolando had the honor of being selected to attend the FBI National Academy. Rolando is a U.S. citizen born in Honduras. After graduating from high school, he moved to Alabama to pursue higher education. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Justice Studies from Athens State University and a master’s degree in Criminal Justice & Public Safety from Auburn University Montgomery.

Carlos Cuellar has been URC’s Executive Vice-President and Chief Programs Officer since May 2020. Carlos’ leadership of large, challenging health service delivery and health system strengthening projects provides him with a deep technical and managerial understanding. He has more than 30 years of experience improving the performance of health programs in the public and private/NGO sectors in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. Carlos started his career with the Ministry of Health of Bolivia as an epidemiologist with the National Center for Tropical Diseases and later as a rural district medical officer. He is co-founder and former executive director of PROSALUD — the single largest and fully sustainable health care NGO in Bolivia. Established in 1985 with USAID funding, PROSALUD is an internationally recognized model with a national network of 14 comprehensive health centers and six referral hospitals providing affordable quality healthcare to underserved Bolivians. PROSALUD also runs a nationwide social marketing program for contraceptives, multivitamins, and other health products. Carlos is currently a member of its Board of Directors.  Before joining URC, Dr. Cuéllar was with Abt Associates as vice president and senior fellow. At Abt, he worked in Jordan as chief of party for the Primary Health Care Initiatives, the Health Systems Strengthening, and the Jordan Communication, Advocacy, and Policy projects. He was also chief of party for the Maternal & Child Centers of Excellence Project in the Dominican Republic and portfolio manager of the Clinical HIV/AIDS Services Strengthening Project in Mozambique.  Dr. Cuéllar received his MD from the Catholic University of Córdoba, Argentina, a master’s degree in public health from the Institute of Tropical Medicine of Antwerp, Belgium, and a Diploma in Management from NUR University of Bolivia.

Peter McPherson retired in September 2022, as President of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), a North American higher education association representing public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and affiliated organizations, working to advance college access and completion, and bolster university-community engagement. McPherson served in a variety of positions in the Ford and Reagan administrations. He served as a Special Assistant to President Gerald Ford. In the Reagan administration, he led the United States Agency for International Development (the U.S. foreign aid program). He later served as Deputy Secretary of the U. S. Department of Treasury. In 1987, he was a principal negotiator in the final weeks of negotiations of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement, the forerunner of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Immediately before coming to APLU in 2006, he served as President of Michigan State University for 11 years, where his work included vastly increasing study abroad participation, controlling tuition costs, bringing an independent law school to Michigan State, and increasing research.  A tax lawyer by profession, he was also managing partner of the Washington D.C. office of a large Midwestern law firm. He later served as an Executive Vice President of Bank of America, where his responsibilities included the bank’s operations in Canada and Latin America. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, an M.B.A. from Western Michigan State University, and a J.D. from American University.

Ken MacLean. As Deputy Mission Director, Ken leads and supervises seven office directors and two FSN staff. Together with the Mission Director, he oversees a large Mission and complex $797M portfolio, set the strategic vision and tone to advance USAID priorities and broader USG foreign policy objectives, and address Honduras-specific development challenges. Prior to his arrival in Honduras in 2020, Ken headed the Democracy and Governance (DG) Office in Guatemala. His portfolio included USAID/Guatemala’s citizen security work in justice/rule of law and crime and violence prevention targeting gang or narco-controlled areas with high homicide rates. Ken also served in Nicaragua, the Latin American and Caribbean Bureau, Iraq, and Yemen.  Mr. MacLean has over 25 years of international development experience around the world working in multiple countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.   In addition, Ken has worked in the private sector in technology and privatization consulting. He has a Master’s in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from the Isenberg School of Business of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. He was born and raised in Massachusetts. He has four children.

Kennedy Odede is founder and CEO of Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO).  Raised in Kibera, the largest urban slum in Kenya, Mr. Odede experienced the devastating realities of life in extreme poverty at first hand. Determined to make a difference in his community, Mr. Odede saved 20 cents from working at a factory to purchase a soccer ball, which led to the founding of Shining Hope for Communities in 2004. Today SHOFCO is Kenya’s largest grassroots movement and catalyzes large-scale transformation in urban slums.  It provides critical services for all, community advocacy platforms and education and leadership development for women and girls. Today, the organization reaches over 2.4 million people 50 sites in Kenya.  Kennedy also founded the Global Alliance for Communities, a coalition of grassroots organizations leading the localization agenda. SHOFCO has been on the front lines of COVID-19 response in Kenya’s urban settlements, delivering health care, WASH, food relief, and economic stability at scale.  Mr. Odede has received numerous awards honoring his organization’s achievements, including the 2022 Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Innovator of the Year Award, the prestigious UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour and the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize. He was named to Forbes 2014 “30 Under 30” Top Social Entrepreneurs list and received the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award that same year. Mr. Odede is also a Clinton Global Initiative member, Obama Foundation Fellow, Aspen New Voices Fellow, UBS Global Visionary, Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council.  Kennedy served on the UN International Commission on Financing of Global Education Opportunities, the Kenya National COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, and the Kenya National COVID-19 Community Engagement Task Force.  He serves on the board of Americares as well as the Human Capital Africa Advisory Board. He lives in Nairobi with his family.

Sarah Rose is a Senior Advisor for Localization in the Office of the USAID Administrator. Prior to coming to USAID, she was a policy fellow at the Center for Global Development, where her research focused on US development policy and aid effectiveness, including localization. Her work looked at US government aid effectiveness. Areas of research and analysis include US development policy in fragile states, the use of evaluation and evidence to inform programming and policy, the implementation of country ownership principles, the policies and operation of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and aid transition processes. Prior to CGD, Rose worked for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Mozambique as a specialist in strategic information and monitoring and evaluation. She also worked at MCC, focusing on the agency’s country selection and eligibility processes. She graduated from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service and has a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University.

Ambassador Eric S. Rubin is President of the American Foreign Service Association.  He served as Ambassador to the Republic of Bulgaria as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.  Prior to that assignment, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow (2008-2011).  A career foreign service officer, Mr. Rubin joined the State Department in 1985 following two years as a reporter trainee at the New York Times. His overseas assignments included working as the political and human rights officer in Honduras (1986-1988), Deputy Political Counselor in Kyiv (1994-1996), and Consul General in Chiang Mai, Thailand (2001-2004).  His Washington assignments include the State Department Operations Center (1989); the Office of Soviet Union Affairs (1989-1991); regional and security affairs officer for Central and Eastern Europe (1991-1993); special assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs (1996-1997); Assistant White House Press Secretary for Foreign Affairs and NSC Director for Public Affairs (1997); special assistant to Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Pickering (1998-1999); Director of the Office of Policy Planning and Coordination of the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (2004-2006); and Executive Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (2006-2008).  Mr. Rubin holds a B.A. in history from Yale University. He was Dean and Virginia Rusk Fellow and a resident associate at Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy from 1999-2000. He speaks Thai, Spanish, French, Ukrainian, and Russian.

Tessie San Martin is Chief Executive Officer, FHI 360. Prior to joining FHI 360, San Martin was CEO and President of Plan International USA, an international development and humanitarian organization that partners with adolescent girls and children around the world to overcome oppression and gender inequality.  Previously, San Martin served as group vice president at Abt Associates, a consulting company providing research and technical assistance expertise on a wide range of social and economic policy issues, and as director for the Operations Group of the World Bank’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).   She has more than 30 years of experience working as an executive in the public and private sectors, bilateral and multilateral development agencies and academia, focusing especially on economic growth and political reform. She has been a forceful advocate for aid effectiveness, serving as co-chair of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) and a board member of Friends of Publish What You Fund, which supports greater aid transparency, and InterAction, which convenes U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations working to eliminate extreme poverty and strengthen human rights and citizen participation.  San Martin has been published in media such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. She has a doctorate in political economy and government from Harvard University, a master’s degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

Christine Sheckler is President of the San Diego World Affairs Council.  She lived and worked overseas for 30+ years as a career U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Foreign Service Officer (ret), Peace Corps Volunteer/Liberia (RPCV) in the remote bush, and international development expert. She crossed the Sahara Desert on her own (1984). She specializes in conflict, fragile, and transition countries with extensive on-the-ground experience designing, implementing, managing, monitoring and evaluating U.S. international development programs at the country-team leader level.  She was the senior USAID advisor to nine Ambassadors. USAID: AIDREP Sierra Leone (2015-16) – managing the U.S.G. response to the Ebola crisis; USAID Washington Office of Civilian-Military Cooperation Advisor (2014-15); Director of USAID/Cairo Office of Democracy and Governance during the Arab Spring (2012-13); Senior Development Advisor to senior military as a member of the Provincial Reconstruction Team.; USAID Country Coordinator: Sierra Leone (2004-2008) – post 11-year “blood diamond” civil war reconstruction; Belarus 2000-4, Lithuania 1998-2000, Tajikistan 1997-8, Georgia/Caucasus 1994, and Pakistan 1989-1994). With the fall of the Berlin Wall, she was the AID/W/Europe & Eurasia Office of Democracy & Governance Civil Society lead for 28 countries mostly from the Former Soviet Union (1995-1997).  Christine earned an M.B.A in International Business from the University of Oregon and a B.A. in Pre-med/Zoology/Entomology from the University of California, Berkeley. Originally from Mill Valley, California, she worked in the California Academy of Sciences as a researcher. As the daughter of a Department of the Army & WWII vet father and a Vienna-born triplet mother, she and her sister spent much of their time growing up in Europe.

U.S. Strategy toward Sub-Saharan Africa

Ervin Massinga

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs

Diana Putman

Senior Advisor, Bureau for Africa

Dr. Diana B. Putman is Senior Advisor in the Bureau for Africa. A career Senior Foreign Service Officer and second generation development specialist, Dr. Putman has spent most of her life overseas and has worked for USAID for 39 years. Most recently she was Mission Director in Timor-Leste for three years (2016-2019). She served before that for five years as Mission Director in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) while overseeing and providing regional services for the Central African Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE), the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, and also Counter-Lord’s Resistance Army activities.

Dr. Putman spent three years on detail at the U.S. Africa Command where she oversaw humanitarian, health, and pandemic response activities and was acting Senior Development Advisor for significant periods.  Dr. Putman worked a total of 20 years in Indonesia, Tunisia, Tanzania, Kenya/Regional, and Jordan where she managed or oversaw activities in agriculture, irrigation, potable water, environment and natural resources, private sector and financial development, tax and customs reform, population and health, gender, democracy and governance among others. Other official postings include USAID headquarters in Washington, D.C. where she worked with the Asia and Near East Bureaus, on the Newly Independent States Task Force, as Chair of the Democracy Working Group for the West Bank/Gaza Task Force. She also did post-doctoral research on gender issues in Japan on leave from the Agency, and consultancies in Africa before joining USAID in 1983.

Dr. Putman has three degrees in Anthropology from Bryn Mawr College and a Masters in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. She also studied at the Universite de Grenoble.  Fluent in French, she remains conversant in Indonesian and Swahili and has studied five other languages.  Dr. Putman has received numerous individual and group awards from USAID, State, and the Department of Defense. She is especially proud to have received a State Department Award for Heroism, one of AFSA’s awards for Constructive Dissent, and the Washington Association for Practicing Anthropologists Praxis Award.

W. Gyude Moore

Senior Policy Fellow, CGD

W. Gyude Moore is a Senior Policy Fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD). He previously served as Liberia’s Minister of Public Works with oversight over the construction and maintenance of public infrastructure from December 2014 to January 2018. Prior to that role, Moore served as Deputy Chief of Staff to President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Head of the President’s Delivery Unit (PDU).

At CGD, Mr. Moore’s policy analysis and research focus are governance, the financing of infrastructure, and Africa’s response to the changing landscape of external actors. His focus tracks the policies of traditional, aspiring, and emerging actors on the continent, especially the rise of China and its expanding role in Africa. Mr. Moore is a lecturer at the University of Chicago’s Harris School for Public Policy where he teaches a class on the role of infrastructure in the practice of foreign policy and international development. Mr. Moore provides expert analysis and is frequently quoted in print, on radio, and on television. He currently serves as co-chair of the Board of Advisors of the Master of Science in Foreign Service Program at Georgetown University and on the Board of Directors of Management Sciences for Health and the Charter Cities Institute.

Impacts on developing countries of the impending food security crisis exacerbated by climate change, the war in the Ukraine and supply chain issues

Mike Michener

Mike Michener currently serves as Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, where he oversees the strategic direction and implementation of USAID’s work on agriculture-led growth and the bureau’s efforts to engage and build partnerships with the private sector and research community in support of the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future initiative.

Prior to working at USAID, Mr. Michener most recently served as Vice President for Product Policy and Innovation with the United States Council for International Business in Washington D.C., and just prior to that as Director of Multilateral Relations for CropLife International in Brussels, Belgium. Mike represented these trade associations before a range of international organizations – including the United Nations, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

Previously, Mr. Michener served with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, first as Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service and then as Minister Counselor at the U.S. Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome. Mr. Michener has also worked for the U.S. Department of State in several roles, including senior governance advisor and strategic planner for stability operations, civil-military affairs specialist, and senior advisor for democracy and human rights programs in Iraq. Mike also worked for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as an Asylum Officer and USAID as a Democracy Advisor in Bosnia and Kosovo. Mr. Michener began his career with the United States Army, serving in Europe as a military intelligence specialist.

Originally from Iowa, Mr. Michener has a master’s degree in public administration from Bowie State University. Mr. Michener earned a bachelor’s degree in East European studies from the University of Maryland by taking night school classes while serving on active duty in Munich, Germany. He speaks fluent Romanian and several other languages.

Paul Dorosh

Director of Development Strategy and Governance Division

Paul A. Dorosh has been the Division Director of IFPRI’s Development Strategy and Governance Division since April, 2011. His previous positions include IFPRI Senior Research Fellow and Program Leader of the Ethiopia Strategy Support Program in Addis Ababa (2008-2010), Senior Economist at the World Bank (2003-2008), senior research fellow with IFPRI in Dhaka, Bangladesh (1997-2001) and Associate Professor at Cornell University (1994-97). He holds a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from the Food Research Institute, Stanford University and a B.A. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University, and has published research on agricultural markets, food policy, international trade, economy-wide modeling and the rural-urban transformation.

Dina Esposito 

Vice President of Technical Leadership, Mercy Corps

Dina Esposito oversees Mercy Corps’ Technical Support Unit, which houses a large team of global subject matter experts who provide strategy, leadership, technical knowledge for program design and implementation and program support to country teams in some 40 countries around the world, ensuring Mercy Corps’ initiatives are strategic, informed, and sustainable.

Before joining Mercy Corps in 2017, she was the Director of USAID’s Office of Food for Peace, (now part of the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance), where she oversaw the Agency’s $2.8 billion relief and development food assistance portfolio. She has worked for nongovernmental organizations in Ethiopia and Kenya and filled a variety of other positions at the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development working on refugee assistance, conflict and post conflict reconstruction priorities.

(Mercy Corps is a global humanitarian and development organization working in fragile and conflict affected places.  It aims to build more inclusive, resilient communities through it four program pillars of improved food security, water security, economic opportunity, and peace/good governance.  It has a staff of more than 5,000 in 40 countries around the world.)

There are three vacant positions on the UAA Board to be filled by vote of the Membership prior to the 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM). The Board Nominations Committee is seeking to broaden the selection of candidates to fill these three vacancies by soliciting current members to consider self-nominating. The only firm nominating criterion is that you must be current with your 2022 contribution to UAA as of the deadline for submission of expression of interest as a candidate for the Board. Candidates can have worked under any USAID hiring authority eligible for membership in UAA.

Unlike past years, when all Board members had to live within the Greater Washington area (to facilitate in-person attendance at Board and ExCom meetings and sessions with USAID counterparts), that limitation will not apply for this election cycle. Candidates may be located anywhere, including outside CONUS, as long as they have access to high speed internet.

The Nominations Committee will take into consideration factors such as active participation in UAA Standing Committees, participation in the UAA Mentoring program, or other activities that demonstrate the candidate has contributed to the work of the UAA and is willing to invest time and energy into the activities of the UAA. Given the MOU with USAID, we expect the scope of our activities will be expanding significantly. The Board of UAA is definitely a working Board and all members are expected to contribute significant time to their participation. Attendance at both monthly Board and Executive Committee meetings on a weekday morning is expected.

Consistent with the Statement of Intent on Diversity and Inclusion, the Nominations Committee encourages UAA members who identify as coming from a diverse or under-represented community to self-nominate for Board membership. The Statement of Intent can be found on the landing page of the UAA website.

If you wish to self-nominate, please send the following information to the Nominations Committee;

• Name
• Last position held with USAID, hiring authority and date of retirement or resignation
• Examples of contributions to UAA or its goals
• Brief statement to why you wish to join the Board

If you submitted an expression of interest to join the Board in the past, please resubmit it as part of this process.

Self-Nominations should be submitted to the members of the Nominations Committee by July 15, 2022 to allow adequate time for consideration.

Nominations Committee members (Terrence Brown, Anne Aarnes, and Roberta Mahoney ) may be reached through elections@usaidalumni.org.

Purpose: The Alumni of the Year awards, granted to UAA contributing members, are intended to recognize and celebrate new paths taken by USAID alumni to provide service to their communities and to make lasting contributions to others at home and abroad.

What are we looking for? The UAA will continue the premise, began in 2014, that one award would go to someone whose contributions were mainly domestic and another one to a nominee whose contributions were primarily overseas. Depending on the nature of the nominations, we will be flexible and may honor more than one person in both categories and no one in each of these categories in any given year.

Since 2014, this award has honored seventeen outstanding alumni whose contributions have inspired us all. Many other alumni deserve recognition, and the UAA Awards Committee needs your help in identifying individuals whose post-USAID activities are truly exemplary and highlight the quality of our alumni community. In response to the many positive comments and suggestions by members in the past evaluations of the annual general meeting, we are pleased to continue the signature Alumni of the Year award criteria and recipient eligibility.

The list below provides examples of service that are appropriate for consideration. Nominations, however, are not limited to these example categories.

• Service with nongovernmental organizations and other groups (for profit or nonprofit) that work closely with communities with special needs, at home or abroad, or both. Examples may include legal services or advocacy for disadvantaged groups, foster parenting, medical service in underserved areas, etc.
• Service with groups that promote education (at any level) or the arts and sciences (e.g., museums, community theater, music appreciation, science fairs, etc.).
• Support for civic programs of any kind (e.g., Scouts movement or projects promoted by groups such as the Lions, Rotary, NAACP, or similar).
• Leadership excellence, including contributions to intellectual development and implementation (e.g., for sustained extraordinary achievement, dedication and passion in a leadership role).
• Service by alumni, including retirees and their spouses or partners, who are UAA members and actively support contributions in furtherance of social and economic development and humanitarian relief at home or abroad.

Most frequently, these services are provided on a voluntary basis. Nevertheless, we will not exclude a nomination for an individual who is paid for the service he/she renders as long as that service goes beyond the expected contribution and is not simply a continuation of the work the nominee was doing prior to separation from USAID. The post-USAID contribution should reflect innovative service likely to leave a long-lasting contribution to the community and people being served.

Who can nominate? Anyone in the UAA registered alumni community may nominate a candidate for the award. This includes registered alumni, contributing members, and members of the UAA Executive Committee. Only Awards Committee members are ineligible to nominate candidates. The Awards Committee will take upon itself the task of verifying the facts contained in the nominations (including self-nominations) that stand out and merit further consideration.

Nomination format: Alumni interested in nominating someone (or in self-nomination) are asked to prepare a brief description of what the individual has been doing since leaving USAID and describe in one or two pages (maximum; less is preferable) the innovative or transformative service of the nominee that merits recognition. The nomination should describe the impact of the contribution and why it might be inspiring to others, particularly the USAID alumni community. Keep it simple and brief. 

When and where to send nominations: The Awards Committee will accept nominations, beginning now (March 2022) until July 31, 2022. Nominations received after that date cannot be considered. Send nominations electronically to: awards@usaidalumni.org.

The Awards Committee will review nominations and make final decisions for the winners in August and September. The award winners will be notified in advance and will be announced and publicly recognized at the Annual General Meeting on October 28, 2022. The UAA also will feature some of the nominees, including those who were not selected, in the monthly UAA newsletter and in the Alumni Profiles section of the UAA website.

We encourage everyone to consider nominating (or self-nominating) someone you know who is deserving of this recognition.