June 2011 Newsletter

Mark Your Calendars!  Celebrate USAID’s 50th Anniversary and Attend the UAA Annual General Meeting on October 20, 2011 

Summer will be over before you know it. Plan now to attend the 3rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the USAID Alumni Association – a fine opportunity to meet colleagues and friends and participate in a key event to honor USAID’s 50th Anniversary.

This year’s AGM is shaping up to be an exciting day full of interesting sessions.  We will celebrate USAID’s fifty year legacy with a keynote speech by USAID Administrator Shah.  Janet Ballantyne will lead a panel of alumni who contributed to her forthcoming book on USAID’s history using written and oral contributions from individuals associated with the agency over the years.  In our own effort to document the history of USAID, we also plan to video members who would like to share special memories from their days with USAID for a UAA video library.

Another important feature of the AGM are elections for the UAA Board of Directors.  This year, we have five Board Members reaching the end of their tenure and we will elect their successors at the AGM.  The Election Committee will soon be calling for nominations and self-nominations.

The AGM will again be held at the Clarendon Ballroom in Arlington, Virginia, and will include lunch and socializing.  Additional information about the AGM will be coming soon!

USAID Photo Contest
Photo Contest to Commemorate USAID’s 50th AnniversaryUSAID’s FrontLines is looking for photos that showcase the vision and spirit of USAID over the years.  The deadline is August 15th.  Further details can be found on USAID’s website here.  You could be a winner!
Washington Summer Events
The Society for International Development (SID) will hold its World Congress this year in Washington, DC from July 29-31.  This SID global event takes place every three years and rotates among the chapters.  This will be the first time since 1982 that the SID World Congress has been hosted by the United States. This unique event will focus on the theme, “Our Common Challenge: A World Moving toward a Sustainable Future” and will feature heads of state and globally recognized experts on international development topics. See the SID website www.sidcongress.org for information about the program.The U.S Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) will hold its 2011 Washington Conference from July 12-13, focusing on “Investing in the Future, A Smart Power Approach to Global Leadership. Speakers include Chuck Todd, NBC; General Cartwright, Joint Chiefs of Staff; Governor Tom Ridge and Senator Tom Daschle. For more information and to register, visit: USGLC website here.
USAID Alumni Gatherings Around the US and the World
VERMONT-BASED and VERMONT-BOUND Alumni.  If you are interested in connecting with other USAID alumni in Vermont, let us know, and will will add you to our growing list of ex-USAID Vermonters!  Email us at: usaid.alumni@gmail.com.Other Regional Gatherings: Have you attended a USAID gathering recently?  Are you willing to organize one?  If yes, please email us at usaid.alumni@gmail.com so we can help find alumni in your area and hear about your event!
Alumni Spotlight
In a new effort to share news and updates about our membership, we’re starting a new regular section called Alumni Spotlight.  Each newsletter, we’ll highlight an Alumnus that is doing something different or exciting.  If you would like to be featured, or would like to suggest someone, please email us at usaid.alumni@gmail.com.
Kelly and Nancy for May/June NewsletterTHIS MONTH: 

Kelly and Nancy Frame Kammerer

(pictured here at their farm in France)

Kelly and Nancy Frame Kammerer left USAID for the south of France in 2003.   Their life now focuses on the seasons—tending their olive trees, fruit trees and grapevines in the Provence sun. They make a good olive oil and are just beginning to make their own wine.  Nancy gets back to the US regularly to visit her daughter in New York and as a member of the board of a NASDAQ-listed company, while Kelly is quite content to stay on their little farm for most of the year.

In the News: Recent Topics of Interest
Budget Cutbacks and Efficient SpendingIn the context of budget cutbacks and shrinking government programs, everyone is thinking about making foreign assistance more efficient.    John Norris, Executive Director of the Sustainable Security and Peacebuilding Initiative at the Center for American Progress, recently published an article that addresses this issue.  The article can be found here.Food SecurityWith rising food prices and the ongoing activities of USAID’s Feed the Future initiative, there has been a recent progress report on the role of the US in agriculture.  On May 24th, the Chicago Council held a day-long event in DC which featured speakers Administrator Shah and Bill Gates as well as other high-level panels, discussing the US’s progress, role, future of small-holder agriculture and food security, etc.  Click here to access the report from the Chicago Council’s website.Click here for another recent article from the Huffington Post on the same topic.
Job  – Global Health Professional & Management Development 
Paltech Instructional Systems Division seeks USAID alumni interest in a possible Project Director position (contingent on contract award) as it anticipates application for an award.  Contact Jeff Ghannam at<jghannam@pal-tech.com>.
UAA Membership & Contributions
The alumni network is growing!  Directory registrations now are more than 680;  please forward these emails to your USAID alumni colleagues and friends so that networking through registration and membership can continue to grow.To support activities, the 2010 AGM voted to request a $75 annual membership contribution.  As a 501(c) 3, any contribution to the UAA is tax deductible.  To remind, only members who have contributed may vote in annual elections.  Though a volunteer organization, UAA needs modest revenue to fulfill our Charter mandate to serve the membership, including costs for the website server, email software, a part-time webmaster and part-time Assistant, and for set-ups for the annual meeting.  Your support appreciated.Welcome to our Newest Members!   Norman Olsen,   Emily Sheinian,  Ned Greeley,  David Piet,  Richard Kranker,  Graham Kerr, Patrick Rader, Robert Walker,  Jesse Wright,  Aldelmo Ruiz, Katherine Jones, Peter Sellar,  Terese White-Henry
New Assistant: Meredith Gaffney
We are very pleased that Meredith Gaffney joined us in May as our part-time Assistant.  Meredith has just completed her Master’s Degree in International Development and International Economics from SAIS at Johns Hopkins University, and spent 3 years in Zambia working in HIV prevention and small-holder agriculture.  She supporting the Board on membership, website, outreach, our DDD luncheon series, and other administrative matters.  Welcome, Meredith!
The UAA Website
We’re enhancing the UAA website but not yet finished.  Visit www.usaidalumni.org to see recent changes.  We seek your feedback.  Send to Suggestion Box on the website or directly to usaid.alumni@gmail.com (a temporary address until our prior email system is restored).

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