- NEW! On Thursday, September 26, 10:30 am to 11:30/12:00 noon, Development Issues discussion with Prof. Julia Irwin about her new book, Catastrophic Diplomacy: US Foreign Disaster Assistance in the American Century. This program, open to all UAA members, is intended as a lead-in to the October 11 Annual General Meeting theme on the nexus between humanitarian and development assistance (see below). For the full announcement of this event click here. To register to attend please click here.
- NEW! Save the Date: October 11 from 9 am to 1:15 pm for the UAA Annual General Meeting followed by lunch. The theme for this year’s meeting focuses on the inter-dynamics between USAID development and humanitarian assistance. You can read a description of the meeting’s theme and panels by clicking here and see the latest version of the meeting agenda, including information on who has been invited to give the keynote address and participate on the panels, by clicking here. The in-person meeting will be held at the Center for Global Development at 2055 L St NW in Washington, D.C., and UAA members will also be able to attend virtually via Zoom. Only UAA members whose annual dues payment for 2024 has been received by September 30, 2024, will be permitted to attend. The deadline to register to attend the AGM is Sunday, October 6. You will receive an email acknowledgement of your registration for the meeting, and for those attending virtually, the Zoom link will be sent after registration for the meeting closes. Please click here to register to attend the AGM in person. Click here to attend the AGM virtually.
LET US CELEBRATE 100 YEARS OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE!
We join all the other Foreign Service agencies to celebrate our U.S. Foreign Service reaching 100 years. The gala on Tuesday, May 21st will be livestreamed on State’s website and YouTube channels. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, CIA Director Bill Burns, and USAID’s Counsellor Clinton White will be speaking. Here are the links for the livestream from the gala where viewers will be able to watch the remarks of all the speakers beginning around 7pmEST: Department homepage and YouTube Channel.
In honor of the Anniversary, AFSA has provided an excellent set of talking points should you have the opportunity to spread the word in your community. Just click here.
Note from the UAA Board
UAA’s outreach efforts are accelerating! Over the past three years, Jim Bever, the champion of UAA’s outreach, has developed our partnership with AFSA and its Road Scholars (AFSA/RS) program to promote a broader understanding of the Foreign Service, its members and its objectives. Working with former senior officials from State, USAID, Agriculture, and Commerce, AFSA/RS presents week-long learning programs for Americans from across the U.S. Jim has made dozens of presentations at these sessions to over 1,000 Americans from over 40 states. Roberta Mahoney and Cheryl Anderson are also joining this effort. Miles Toder and Christine Sheckler make presentations to different groups in their home states of Florida and California.
Helping Americans learn about development issues and programs is one of UAA’s key priorities, and we are proud of the success of UAA’s AFSA/RS partnership. We hope more UAA members will join in helping to grow our outreach capacity! See the article below for additional information on the AFSA/RS program and on how you can join UAA’s outreach activities.
One final note: Consider joining and playing a role on one of UAA’s Committees. While members work hard, they also have fun and help alumni stay connected to others with similar interests and the larger USAID alumni community. You can stay updated on the latest regarding Committees and Co-Chairs by checking the UAA website here.
Notice of Board Elections
Dear Members:
We hope you have had a wonderful summer. As we start preparing for the October 11 Annual General Meeting, We wanted to bring to your attention to the elections for UAA Board positions. There are three vacant positions on the UAA Board to be filled by vote of the membership NLT October 4 prior to the 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) on October 11. No voting will take place at the AGM. See the list of the two candidates seeking a first term and the two seeking a second term this year.
Click here for bios and ballot to vote
The UAA Board Nominations Committee announced the 2024 Board elections in the June UAA Newsletter, seeking to broaden the selection of candidates to fill the three vacancies by soliciting current members to consider nominating, or self-nominating, members. The only criterion for Board membership in the UAA Bylaws is that Board member must be a member in good standing (meaning a 2023 contributing member) of UAA. In addition, the Nominating Committee took into consideration whether the candidate was an active participant in UAA committees or other programs and activities of the UAA such that the candidate contributed to and was supportive of, the work of the UAA and was willing to invest time and energy into the activities of the UAA.
The Nominations Committee (Denise Rollins, Oren Wyche-Shaw, and Ken Yamashita) took into consideration a wide range of candidates. We believe we have selected an exceptional slate of candidates to fill the two vacant first-term positions on the Board as well as two incumbent candidates to serve a second term. Please vote electronically for the UAA Board candidates by October 4.
Thank you for your participation.
Sincerely,
UAA Board Nominations Committee (Denise Rollins, Oren Wyche-Shaw, Ken Yamashita).
Please Join UAA as Mentors for Cohort 14!
It is that time of year again–we need as many mentors as possible for the UAA-USAID Mentoring Program. Your experience as a USAID retiree/mentor is invaluable, and we are eager to continue the successful partnership between UAA volunteer mentors and USAID Foreign Service Officer mentees. Mentees want to learn from your experience and highly value your insights. You will find deep satisfaction in your conversations with FSO mentees, knowing that your expertise shapes the next generation of USAID professionals. For Cohort 14, UAA and USAID will focus on FSO mentees in overseas positions in Senior Leadership Group assignments and those stationed in Africa, Asia, and Global Health Bureaus.
HOW TO SIGN UP AS A MENTOR:
- If you have been a UAA mentor previously, we have your profile. To confirm your participation in Cohort 14, you simply need to email Denise and Sharon by Tuesday, September 17th at their respective addresses (denise.rollins52@gmail.com and sharonpauling1@gmail.com). Please include your name, the cohort you mentored, and any updates to your profile in the email.
- If you have yet to join the ranks of UAA mentors, please complete the mentor profile by clicking THIS LINK by Tuesday, September 17th, to summarize your experience and help us match you to a promising FSO. Our matching process is thorough and considers both the mentor’s and mentee’s professional backgrounds, interests, and goals to ensure a productive and beneficial relationship for both parties. You will have the opportunity to concur on the match.
The most critical component of the program is you. Please join us! We will provide mentor training, support, and camaraderie. Your role as a mentor is not just important; it is crucial to the program’s success and development of new leaders, as reaffirmed by the Cohort 13 program evaluation. As a mentor, you will spend an average of one to two hours each month talking with a USAID FSO about the challenges and issues they encounter in their careers. The time you devote can be among the most rewarding hours you will experience each month as you witness your guidance’s significant and positive impact on the mentees, knowing that you are playing a crucial role in their professional development. We have attached the Mentoring Program flyer for your review.
We expect to complete the matching process by December and will host a one-day mentor training in January that includes Agency leaders. The formal mentoring process for Cohort 14 is six months, from January to June 2025. For more information, please contact Denise Rollins and Sharon Pauling.
UAA Hosts Visiting Mission Directors and Country Representatives
On Thursday, July 31, 2024, the USAID Alumni Association (UAA) hosted a significant event, bringing together over 60 Mission Directors, Country Representatives, and senior staff from posts around the globe at a reception at the Yours Truly Hotel at Dupont Circle, NW in Washington. The evening was an excellent opportunity for more than 40 UAA members to reconnect with many MDs and former colleagues, set against the backdrop of a perfect venue, with a DJ playing music and UAA-funded appetizers. The new Agency leaders, now heading our most important international development programs worldwide, are a testament to the talent and commitment within our community. The team spirit was overwhelming among Foreign Service Officers and USAID alums, with notable camaraderie and bonding. The event allowed MDs and UAA members to socialize during the official MDs Conference.
Conversations were filled with reminiscences and updates. ‘Where are you now? How IS retirement? Do you remember…? ‘ and’ So proud of what you’re doing in…’ were common themes. Team spirit, camaraderie, curiosity, and admiration were not just present but overwhelming. The event occurred on the margins of the Mission Directors’ Conference in Washington. Click here to see more photos from this event.
FSN CommUNITY Family Picnic
On Sunday, June 23, the USAID Counselor and his team celebrated the second annual Unity in the CommUNITY Family Picnic, acknowledging the contributions of former Foreign Service Nationals (FSNs). Nearly 300 former FSNs and their families arrived at Fort Hunt Park with loads of wonderful food from around the world and plenty of goodwill. The Bangladesh contingent was the largest represented, along with Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi, Madagascar, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
Clinton White, Counselor to USAID, and his staff organized this highly successful event and covered associated costs. The USAID Alumni Association was honored to be invited. The UAA contingent included Sharon Pauling, Carol Peasley, Roberta Mahoney, Dave McCloud, Mary Alice Kleinjan, and Denise Rollins. It was great to see so many former FSNs who have made a life in the U.S. To see more photos of this event, click here.
John Legend Concert
On Tuesday evening, June 4th, 14 UAA members and guests gathered at Wolf Trap to enjoy John Legend in concert, picnicking on the lawn before the concert and enjoying the companionship of friends. John Legend more than delivered – he recounted his life story and evolution as a musician from his humble, religious roots in Ohio to his current world renown status as an accomplished pianist/singer/songwriter. He regaled his grounding in choral music, moving from home schooling to public high school to attendance at University of Pennsylvania, then becoming a Boston Consulting Group consultant before devoting himself to a professional musical career. With all that the DMV area has to offer, we hope to organize more of these “self-pay” events when UAA members can meet and enjoy similar cultural events.
Another Successful UAA Event for Road Scholars
UAA Executive Committee Chair, Roberta Mahoney, with support from UAA Outreach Committee Co-Chair, Christine Sheckler, led a Road Scholar presentation on US Foreign Assistance & USAID to a class of 39 in Washington, D.C. This was part of the Road Scholar “US Foreign Service Week” curriculum. The UAA/USAID PowerPoint presentation was one of the final new versions currently used as the Outreach Committee and USAID LPA finalize the updated version.
UAA supports the Road Scholar program by offering senior USAID/UAA Senior Foreign Service Officers as course presenters several times a year, in Washington, D.C. and at the Chautauqua Institute in New York. UAA Senior Foreign Service Officer(ret.), Jim Bever, has been the key presenter up until the current course. Over the past two and a half years UAA, via our Public Outreach Committee, has met in-person with over 750 Road Scholars coming from over 400 communities in over 40 states to discuss US foreign aid and USAID.
UAA JOINS MFAN TO NETWORK WITH USAID DEPUTY MISSION DIRECTORS
On March 13 the USAID Alumni Association (UAA) joined the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) for a Happy Hour with the visiting USAID Deputy Mission Directors.
The event took place at the US Capital with time for networking and brief interventions from Tod Preston, Executive Director, MFAN, Clinton White, Counselor, USAID, Erin Nicholson, Deputy Mission Director, USAID Indonesia, and Ken Yamashita (Ret.), former interim counselor for the Agency and USAID Alumni Association representative.
The DMD’s were in town for a global workshop to institutionalize DMD leadership and professional development, engage Agency leaders and share field approaches on strategic priority areas. Their specific objectives were to: Support DMDs’ capacity to institutionalize USAID Policy Framework in the field. Specifically focusing on leveraging DMD’s unique role to strengthen partnerships and further national security priorities, inclusive of digital technology, cyber security, and countering PRC and Russian dis/mis information. Fostering peer-to-peer leadership and management learning
and exchange; strengthening and professionalizing the DMD backstop; empowering DMDs to manage their own careers and updating the DMD Charter by-laws. Informing efforts to prepare newly assigned DMDs and support DMDs already in the field. Strengthening the Agency’s workforce by providing training and tools for strengthening accountability, improving performance management, supervision and building talent. Leveraging DMDs to advance Agency SFS/FS reform, DEIA, FSN empowerment, mentoring, and C3 integration.
Invitees included 51 Deputy Mission Directors, some 50 USAID/W leaders, MFAN Executive Director and a broad swath of NGO members of MFAN. We were pleased with the robust turnout on the part of UAA – 23 members strong! Our thanks also to members who played a key role in leading panels during the actual workshop with these future leaders of the Agency.
Winterfest 2024!
On March 3 54 UAA members and guests gathered in Alexandria to catch up with one another and enjoy the afternoon as winter recedes and spring, well, springs. Our new venue was light and bright and spacious, and the food and wine were plentiful and delicious. We celebrated new members and shared news of where UAA is going and upcoming plans. New homes, new jobs, new retirement and travel, there was a bit of it all. In his welcoming remarks, Ken Yamashita marked the passing of Mel Cook, Bette’s husband. Briefly put, Mel was an American hero having served in WWII and Viet Nam and contributing to the founding of the new US Army Museum. Always by Bette’s side at UAA functions, we will miss him. We thank members for coming out and bringing friends and family. Thank you to the Social Committee – Margot Ellis, Melissa Williams, Georgia Sambunaris, Sharon Pauling, Denise Rollins and Karen Freeman for bringing it all together again. Look for more upcoming opportunities to gather and if you have ideas, or would like to host an event, please let the Social Committee know.
Tish Butler, Beth Hogan and Ken Lanza
Maria Rendon and Anne Patterson
Anne Dammarell, David Jessee and Mike Walsh
Denise Rollins, Ven Suresh, Carol Dabbs and Lucien Hakorimana
Anne Patterson, Tom Staal, Maria Rendon, Janina Jaruzelski and Bruce Adams
Margot Ellis, Ray Martin, and Carol Carpenter-Yeman
Denise Rollins and Georgia Sambunaris
Marcy Birnbaum, Tish Butler, Anne Dammarell, and Chris Crowley
Karen Freeman and Tish Butler
Ken Yamashita and Nancy Pielemeier
Supporting Our Mission Israel LE Staff Colleagues Via the FSN Emergency Relief Fund
Our colleagues, especially the Locally Employed Staff at Mission Israel and those residing in Gaza, are directly affected by the war between Israel and Hamas. This includes those working for USAID.
AFSA would like to draw attention to the opportunity for all of us to meaningfully support our colleagues by giving to the FSN Emergency Relief Fund. We urge you to continue reading here to learn more about this Fund and to explore how you can lend your support.
Emergency Relief Funds for Ukraine: for FSNs and for Ukrainian Citizens
For information about contributing to relief of the Ukraine emergency, including the FSN Emergency Relief Fund and ways to support the people of Ukraine compiled by DACOR Bacon House Foundation’s Development Office, click here.
UAA Partnership with American University Library Archives
Since 2019 the American University Library Archives have welcomed donations of AID alumni personal memorabilia of their USAID service. The UAA has now established a partnership with the Archives to support the preparation, processing, and making available to researchers of these papers, including those donated by the UAA and by individual alumni and others. We envision the program will continue for five or more years; after two years the Archivist and UAA will assess the program’s effectiveness before committing for the additional years. The UAA has pledged an initial sum of $10,000 over two years ($5,000 each year) to finance student interns to help prepare and organize these papers and make them more easily available. The funding for this program is drawn entirely from contributions made to the AID history project, which included the clear hope that the book would stimulate further study and understanding of AID’s more than 60 years of development history. AID alumni are strongly urged to consider donating their memorabilia to this collection. (See https://usaidalumni.org/uaa-and-american-university-archives-opportunity-for-usaid-alumni/)
Development Dialogues
The UAA/DACOR Development Dialogues and the UAA Development Issues Committee Dialogues provide interactive conversations on a broad range of topics relevant to the interests of international development professionals.
Below are summaries of the most recent events. Each includes a link either to an audio or video of the event. Being able to listen or watch an event should be of particular interest to Association members who live outside the DC area.
For a full archive of all events that have audio or video availability, please click here.
Notice:
DACOR has decided that virtual attendance at its programs – including the UAA/DACOR Development Dialogues – will now cost $10 per program, plus a 3% charge for credit card payments. This fee had been voluntary, and many had paid the fee, but in view of the base cost to host virtual or hybrid events, the DACOR Board concluded that all participants should share the expense. The cost of DACOR lunches will remain at $35.
UAA/DACOR Development Dialogue:
USAID Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman reflects on USAID programs and U.S. foreign policy objectives.
On Monday, May 13, 2024, USAID Deputy Administrator Isobel Colemen squeezed time out of her very busy week to spend an hour with an appreciative and engaged audience at DACOR and on-line. In conversation with retired USAID Counselor and active UAA Board Member Chris Milligan, she reflected candidly on her experience leading USAID’s policy work during the first three years of the Biden Administration. To hear the whole program please click here.
UAA/DACOR Development Dialogue:
The Rise of the Global Middle Class by Dr. Homi Kharas
Dr. Homi Kharas and Alex Shakow at DACOR, April 5, 2024
At DACOR on Friday, April 5, Brookings’ Senior Fellow Dr. Homi Kharas discussed with the luncheon (and on-line) audience some of the many complex issues explored in his new book The Rise of the Global Middle Class – How the Search for the Good Life Can Change the World. While basically an optimist, Kharas also laid out the key – and very difficult – steps societies must take if the continued growth of the middle class is to be sustained. Watch the hour-long discussion by clicking here.
“The Enduring Struggle: The History of the U.S. Agency for International Development and America’s Uneasy Transformation of the World “
by John Norris
John Norris‘ book, The Enduring Struggle – The History of the Agency for International Development and America’s Uneasy Transformation of the World, was published in July 2021. In a short review, Foreign Affairs wrote: “This comprehensive history of the U.S. Agency for International Development…deserves to be read by all students of U.S. foreign policy.” A very positive review of The Enduring Struggle by Mary Jane Maxwell has recently been published in the Journal of World History. (Read it here.) Copies may be purchased from the publisher at a 30 percent discount by using the form at this link. Alumni with suggestions for events that will popularize the book or to generate reviews should send their suggestions to Alex Shakow at ashakow@comcast.net.
Additions to the Bibliography of USAID Authors
We’re adding two new books by well-known retired USAID authors to the Bibliography of USAID Authors. Project management specialist Ken Smith has published Musings on Project Management: A Compilation of Contemporary Concerns in Project Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation with Some Tools Suggested for their Solution, which discusses highlights of his career as a USAID Management specialist for the Far East Bureau, the Technical Assistance Bureau (TAB). and USAID missions in the Philippines, South Korea and Indonesia.
Mark Wentling has recently published Jackleg Boys, a historical novel about two sons of a Virginia aristocratic family navigating the harsh realities of the post-civil war era as they undertake a perilous journey westward, “exploring the transformative power of desperation and the indomitable human spirit”. Mark is the author of many Africa-focused books cited in the Bibliography, including Africa Memoir – 50 Years, 54 Countries, One American Life.
A delightful book of historical fiction by William C. Craddock, a former USAID Foreign Service Officer, was added earlier. Nobles Gold looks like great summer reading!! An unethical think tank is advising the newly elected U.S. President to return to the gold standard but the amount of gold needed is only available on Mars. Sam Noble, a State Dept Courrier, is writing his first book based on his multiple travels and touches on lost civilizations and lost caches of GOLD. His first chapters are hijacked by the FBI and the think-tank. Sam escapes with his mystical Brazilian wife to her native Amazonian village where Sam makes an amazing discovery not far from where Theodore Roosevelt once explored the legendary River of Doubt in 1914. It was that night of a waxing moon and spectacular meteor shower…
In Memoriam
UAA has learned of the recent deaths of the following members of our USAID alumni community:
Donald Thomas McNelis, Edward Michael Malloy, Syed Aamir Hussain, Rolf Hong, Seth Bloom, John M. “Jack” Miller, Roger Allen Bloom, Norman Cohen, Mary Kathleen Huntington, Marjorie Anne Koblinsky, Roberto Justino Castro Suarez, Judith “Judy” Davis Johnson, Howard Dean Pittman, Susan Collins Russell, Sarah Evelyn Wright, David Henry Mandel, Elizabeth Schoenecker, Susan Chuwa Easley, Marion Horace “Tex” Ford, I. Austin Heyman, Richard Elliot Benedick, William Topolsky, Kurt Keith Kunze, Peter W. Shirk, Amy Ada Haratani, Achsah Nesmith, Wade F. Gregory, Elmer Melvin “Mel” Cook, Melvin Raymond Chatman, Jr., Frances Brigham Johnson, Joseph Coolidge Wheeler, William “Bill” Ignatius Rodier III, Paul Christian Tuebner, Manuel Carl “Mick” Zenick, Francis Redmond “Tony” Smoot, Ernest “Ernie” Clarence Kuhn, Caryle E. Cammisa, Wilma Louise Ditter, Ellsworth “Butch” Amundson, Sophia Helene Van Der Bijl, Alex Durham Newton, Patricia S. Matheson, Robert Jaffe Muscat, Richard Lee “Dick” McCall, Jr., Thomas Hale Fox, James Elliott
A full listing of alumni obituaries may be seen in the In Memoriam section.
If you would like to provide a brief obituary or personal tribute for these former colleagues and friends to be posted on this website or if you know of other people who have passed way and have not been noted here, please send the information to: office@usaidalumni.org Attn: Memorials.
AFSA death notices for USAID members not in UAA In Memoriam list
Click here to see a list from 25 pages of American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) members specifying USAID as their foreign affairs agency who have died since AFSA started keeping track in the Memorial Tribute section of its website, but who were not listed in the In Memoriam section of the UAA website (as of June 2023). Most of the entries do not include obituaries. Those that do have been added to UAA In Memoriam Previous Tributes. Missing obituaries would be welcome at office@usaidalumni.org Attn: Memorials.
Get Involved!
UAA is your organization and getting involved in Association activities will make us stronger, more interesting and – definitely – more fun. You can find a variety of activities to join under the Get Involved navigation tab at the top of this page, including:
UAA Committees
UAA Mentoring
Job & Volunteer Opportunities
Syllabi for Devt Courses and Speakers
Recent News Articles & Links for Development Professionals
Recent Articles
To see and access the full list of articles, please click here.
If you have articles that you believe would be of general interest to the UAA membership, please submit them here.
Web Links
We offer links of general interest to folks involved in the development “arts.” If you have links you would like to submit, please send them here. To see and access the full list of web links, please click here.
If you have articles and/or links you would like to share with the rest of us, please send your suggestions to: office@usaidalumni.org, Attn: Development Issues.
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