Calling All Members – Seeking new Committee Co-Chairs & Members
During this time of change in and reinvention of international cooperation, the USAID Alumni Association (UAA) is more active than ever. UAA’s responsiveness, accomplishments, and productivity rely on the active participation of our members on the committees. The UAA Board is actively seeking new co-chairs and members for our UAA committees (see descriptions below):
- Annual General Meeting (AGM)
- Awards
- Development Issues
- Finance and Administration
- Membership
- Peer Support
- Public Outreach
- Regional Activities
- Social Events
- USAID History/ADST
We hope you will consider joining and working on one or more of these committees. Please let us know of your interest by sending an email to office@usaidalumni.org.
Guidance on UAA Committees
Address communications for any of the Committee Co-Chairs to: office@usaidalumni.org to their attention.
UAA’s activities are carried out by UAA Committees. Click here for Committee Guidance.
UAA Committees
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Co-Chair: Steve Wingert
Co-Chair: Joy Riggs-Perla
The AGM Committee is responsible for planning and scheduling the UAA Annual General Meeting (AGM). The UAA Articles of Association and By-laws do not prescribe the functions and activities of the Annual General Meeting other than to state that it will be held. The AGM Committee meets monthly prior to the AGM to decide on the agenda, venue, and required support services for the Meeting, and to obtain commitments from participants in panels and other individuals and officials according to the requirements of the Meeting’s agenda. The Committee Co-chairs will also negotiate contracts for the venue and services required for the meeting, which will be forwarded to the UAA Treasurer for signature.
Awards
Chair: Vacant
The Awards Committee’s purpose is to manage the annual UAA Awards Program. The signature award, Alumni of the Year, is granted to UAA contributing members 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 after leaving USAID. Additional Board-approved awards, such as Lifetime Achievement Recognition, are also supported by the Committee. The Awards Committee was created in 2014 as a subcommittee of the Membership Committee. Its members are considered members of the Membership Committee but are recruited separately, and its work is conducted independently and in confidence pending announcement of the award winners at the Annual General Meeting. You can email this committee at: awards@usaidalumni.org.
Development Issues
Co-Chair: Vacant
Co-Chair: Gail Spence
This Committee tracks and keeps the UAA membership advised on key development issues, new development challenges and the changing foreign assistance environment. The Committee’s goal is to ensure that the UAA membership is kept abreast of development innovations through monitoring the work of development-oriented think tanks and journals as well as the publications of UAA members. This Committee is responsible for organizing the Development Issues Discussions as well as the Development Dialogue luncheon series, which is co-hosted by DACOR.
Finance and Administration
Co-Chair: Carol Dabbs
Co-Chair: James Redder
The Finance and Administration Committee provides oversight of UAA finances, records, mailing lists and other software, the UAA website, and staffing issues.
Membership
Co-Chair: Terry Brown
Co-Chair: Tony Pryor
This Committee serves as the central operational unit to grow the membership and support Board-approved UAA activities by mobilizing UAA member- volunteer work and by facilitating Board fund-raising and membership contributions. The Committee builds and maintains: 1) a regularly updated Directory of former USAID employees and an e-mail system to reach retirees regularly with UAA notices; and 2) a low-cost website. The Committee encourages greater membership engagement through newsletters, regional gatherings and other member-identified activities. You can email this committee at: membership@usaidalumni.org.
Peer Support
Co-Chair: Denise Rollins
Co-Chair: Sharon Pauling
The UAA/USAID Mentoring Program has been in transition since the dismantling of USAID in January 2025. UAA is undertaking a survey and will be conducting a strategic planning exercise in 2026 to determine what support USAID alumni require a year after the closure, and what skill sets UAA can provide. The Peer Support Committee is recruiting new members to help assess the way forward. We would like volunteers to help us develop a new approach to support alumni in various ways, including with job searches, if needed. If you are interested in the subject matter or have relevant skill sets that can help us support our former colleagues, please contact Denise Rollins at denise.rollins52@gmail.com or Sharon Pauling at sharonpauling1@gmail.com.
Public Outreach
Co-Chair – Eastern half of the US: Chris Milligan
Co-Chair – Western half of the US: Christine Sheckler
The purpose of the Public Outreach Committee is to sponsor activities that will inform the American public and the professional development community on successful and sustainable development by drawing upon the wisdom, lessons and collective on-the-ground experience of UAA’s membership. The Public Outreach Committee has established a Speakers Directory to facilitate outreach to US organizations and communities. You can email this committee at: outreach@usaidalumni.org.
Regional Activities
Co-Chair – Eastern half of the US: Tony Pryor
Co-Chair – Western half of the US: Christine Sheckler
The Committee will oversee and support the formation of regional chapters of USAID alumni residing in distinct geographic regions beyond the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. The purpose of regional UAA chapters is to: 1) provide opportunities for local, in-person social and networking gatherings, 2) encourage public outreach activities to increase U.S public support for foreign assistance and USAID’s role therein, and 3) expand dues paying membership in the UAA.
Social Events
Co-Chair: Karen Freeman
Co-Chair: Margot Ellis
The Social Committee, independently or in conjunction with other UAA Committees, sponsors or coordinates events to bring members together to create opportunities for renewal of friendships and professional networks.
USAID History/ADST
Co-Chair: Alex Shakow
Co-Chair: Carol Peasley
The History Committee was formed several years ago to raise funds for, select the author of, and support the compilation, publication and distribution of an independent history of 60 years of AID’s development experience. The Enduring Struggle was published in 2021 and has been well-received both inside AID and by outside readers. The Committee continues to seek ways it can be made available more broadly, including in universities for use in their teaching, to increase understanding of AID’s rich history. The Committee has established a close working relationship with the American University Library Archives as a place where historical AID alumni materials can be collected and catalogued, making them easily accessed by students and scholars for years to come. The Committee also collaborates with the Association of Diplomatic Studies and Training to expand the number of AID oral history interviews in the ADST collection. Following the dissolution of USAID, the committee is also exploring additional ways in which it can help preserve USAID knowledge and lessons learned.