Dennis Panther

Dennis Panther, husband of Kathryn Panther (also a Foreign Service Officer, passed away in Sykesville, Maryland on March 20, 2014 at the age of 64.

A native of Spokane, Washington, Dennis attended Washington State University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry and spent summers working for the National Forest Service in Oregon.  He joined the Peace Corps in 1973 and served two years as a forestry volunteer in Niger, West Africa, advising the government on village wood production and green belt management.  It was in Niger that Dennis met his wife, Kathryn, a fellow volunteer.  They were married in Ziguinchor, Senegal, in 1979.  Dennis began his USAID career as a USPSC in 1976, providing technical assistance on U.S. Government forestry projects first in Niger and then in the Casamance Region of southern Senegal.  He was sworn in as a Foreign Service Officer in 1984, and subsequently served at USAID Missions in Niger, Togo, Mali, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Uganda, as well as the Africa Bureau in USAID/Washington.  He provided technical assistance and oversight to USAID programs in agriculture, environment, and economic growth.  Prior to his retirement in 2008, Dennis served as the Office Director, Economic Growth, Environment and Agriculture at USAID/Uganda.

Dennis loved the game of golf, spending time with family and friends, traveling, talking to people around the world on his ham radio, reading science fiction novels, and doing crossword puzzles.  He leaves behind his wife Kathryn Panther, son Christopher, and daughter Nicole, all of northern Virginia.

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