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What’s New with UAA outside the DMV?
To increase UAA’s relevance, expand its reach, boost membership, and address the impact of the unplanned dismantling of USAID, UAA is strongly supporting and encouraging the gatherings of USAID Alumni nationwide and abroad. Currently, Florida and California are the most active and have established UAA Chapters. New England and Pennsylvania groups are active, and Oregon and Washington State are growing.
California: There are five active local groups. San Diego-Orange County, Los Angeles-Desert, Central Coast (Santa Barbara), San Francisco-Oakland, Sacramento-Sierra. Each group meets in person and provides networking and job search support, as well as builds a USAID-community of friendship and general support. For further information contact Christine Sheckler at cmtsheckler@gmail.com
Multiple UAA Gatherings in California
SOCAL SOCIAL (San Diego-Orange County-LA-Palm Springs): Twenty-five USAID SoCal Alumni gathered on Saturday, 24 January 2026, to build community, share stories, and discuss February activities, including “Celebrating USAID” Month of February. We welcomed several State Department, Forestry Department, and Army colleagues – building a pro-Foreign Assistance alliance. We even hosted an out-of-towner (Cal-Nevada border) Keynote speaker, AFSA’s USAID VP, Randy Chester, and his wife, Sherry, who updated us on AFSA-led initiatives. Thank you to Robert Gerstein and his wife, Lisa, for sharing their beautiful condo venue and all the other support! Click here to see the video of Randy Chester’s presentation.
Bay Area:
Our California Bay Area USAID Alumni gathered in San Francisco on Friday evening, 23 January 2026, for a Storytelling event, sharing a lifetime of stories from our USAID experiences. This was a special event in addition to their scheduled monthly gatherings.
Sacramento/Sierra Nevada (Sac/Sierra):
The SAC/Sierra Alumni & Amigos group got together once again in Sacramento, this time at the SacYard Community Tap Room, in honor of visiting USAID alumni Steve and Cristina Olive, who came up from Southern California to see their son, who is a student at UC-Davis. Steve and Cristina recently returned to Southern California from New Delhi, where Steve was in his first year as the USAID/India Mission Director. We were also pleased to have a visiting USAID alumna from the East Coast, Katie Frank, who has been on a road trip all the way from Maine, visiting USAID colleagues and other friends along the way. This exemplifies USAID California Alumni’s effort to be both a state-wide, local initiative and part of our national network. Jim Stein hosted this gathering – thank you, Jim!
Left front around the table to front right: Erin Wroblewski, Steve Olive, Jim Stein, Whitney Jensen Rodrigues, Cristina Olive, and Katie Frank
Florida’s USAID Alumni Caucus:
Over 60 members of Florida’s Foreign Service Alumni Association (FSAA) met for their Annual General Meeting on January 16 at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club. The FSAA, which is newly renamed, includes alumni from USAID as well as alumni from other foreign affairs agencies. Guest speaker John Dinkelman, the president of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), shared his observations on the current U.S. administration’s treatment of development and diplomacy and of the federal workforce. In the second part of the meeting, USAID alumni in FSAA joined alumni in California, the DMV and elsewhere in a Zoom discussion that focused on Congressional actions related to development, and on progress in organizing regional chapters of UAA. The full report of Florida’s USAID Alumni Caucus meeting is available HERE.
UAA Florida Alumni Social, discussing topical USAID-related, global, and foreign assistance priorities. UAA Florida leads: Miles Toder and Alan Van Egmond.
UAA Florida Alumni Social with onliners, including from Washington, D.C. (Jim Bever) and California (Christine Sheckler)
California groups in action in December:
Florida: Florida has been very active for several years. Their model includes partnering closely with the Florida Foreign Service Alumni Association. Miles Toder reached out to all former USAID colleagues who moved to Florida this year. They are settling in and sharing their stories; many have joined UAA to take advantage of concessional membership fees for the first two years (UAA’s membership doubled this year), to find ways to keep in touch with other development professionals, and to rebuild and broaden their network of people with foreign affairs interests.
Register to join the Florida Annual Meeting on January 16 virtually or in St Petersburg to hear the guest speaker from AFSA, to met the larger and better-established group of former FSOs, and to consider joining the Florida organization. Contac t Miles Toder at milestoder@hotmail.com or Alan VanSegmond at alanvanegmond@gmail.com.
Expanding UAA participation: Earlier in 2025, then UAA Outreach Co-Chair, Christine Sheckler, made a five-Western States road trip to assess interest in forming local UAA Chapters and prepare to welcome and support our returning USAID friends and colleagues.
In December, Tony Pryor, UAA Board-Membership liaison, made a three-Western States trip to meet with recent USAID returnees to hear their stories as part of UAA’s “Keeping the Flame and Knowledge Management” initiatives.
Tony Pryor traveled to San Diego, Portland, and Seattle the week of December 14 to meet with Christine Sheckler to discuss options for expanding Alumni participation, the implications for membership and programming, and the UAA work on saving USAID knowledge. Christine Sheckler hosted an eight-member San Diego meeting.
Carissa Page then hosted a meeting in Portland, Oregon, with 15 members. They met to discuss UAA’s plans for the coming year and how they could get involved. Reaching out to the chapters, and rethinking the role they could play, was received enthusiastically.
