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I could not be more happy with President Obama’s nomination of Gayle Smith to be the next Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Not only is she a consummate leader in the international development world, well-respected by both Democrats and Republicans, she also has ties to Lutheran World Relief!
Gayle worked with LWR during the Ethiopian famine in 1984-85, as part of a consortium called the Emergency Relief Desk, which provided relief, including food aid cross-border, to people in rebel-held areas. For this work, LWR won The Presidential End Hunger Award, signed by President Reagan in 1986.
“This was during the time when LWR was headed by Norman Barth,” Gayle recalled recently,
“who stepped up at a time when there was dire need but responding to the famine meant dealing also with two wars.”
Gayle went on to achieve great heights in her career, both as a journalist and as a leader in the humanitarian sector, all the way to her current post as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director at the National Security Council. LWR has joined a coalition of humanitarian agencies calling for her swift confirmation as USAID Administrator.
From the letter to members of Congress:
“Given the ongoing humanitarian crises in Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, and South Sudan, as well as the recent crises in Nepal and Yemen, it is critically important that the U.S. Senate take quick action to confirm Ms. Smith as USAID Administrator. Moreover, a full-time leader with the ability to represent the agency before Congress and OMB, as well as representing the U.S. in international fora, will only strengthen U.S. leadership on global initiatives focused on helping people in the world’s poorest places become independent and reach their full potential.”
USAID is an important partner for Lutheran World Relief, funding critical work in disaster relief and agricultural development. Gayle Smith will do a great job as its next leader.
