Richard R. Verma serves as the Deputy Secretary of State for Management & Resources. In this role, he acts as the Chief Operating Officer of the Department, and leads the Department’s efforts on modernization, foreign assistance, and a wide range of workforce and strategic issues.

Deputy Secretary Verma previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to India, where he led one of the largest U.S. diplomatic missions and championed historic progress in bilateral ties. He is also a former Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs and the former National Security Advisor to the Senate Majority Leader.

Deputy Secretary Verma has also had a distinguished career in the private sector, most recently serving as the Chief Legal Officer and Head of Global Public Policy for Mastercard. He is a former partner at the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson, and the Vice Chairman of The Asia Group, a global consulting firm. He also served on the T. Rowe Price corporate board of directors.

Deputy Secretary Verma is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and the recipient of numerous military awards and civilian decorations, including the Meritorious Service Medal and the State Department’s Distinguished Service Award. He is also the recipient of the Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship, and the Chief Justice Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award.

Deputy Secretary Verma was a member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, the Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism

Commission, and the Secretary of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board. He has served on a number of non-profit boards, including the Ford Foundation, Lehigh University, and the National Endowment for Democracy.

Deputy Secretary Verma was a Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and he holds multiple academic degrees, including his doctorate (Ph.D.) from Georgetown University and his law degree (J.D.) from American University.

Dennis Vega is Chief of Staff of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Vega previously served as the Agency's Deputy Chief of Staff, and as the President and CEO (previously as the Chief Operating Officer) of America's Promise Alliance, an organization dedicated to creating the conditions for success for all young people.

Before joining America's Promise, Vega spent 9 years in the federal government, serving in senior positions at the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Department of State. Most recently, he served in the Department of State's Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources as the Managing Director for Regional and Global Issues. During this time, he also served as the Chief of Staff in the Office of Budget and Resource Management and on the House Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives.

Prior to government service, Vega worked for the 2008 Obama Presidential Campaign, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Missouri State Public Defender. He is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and the University of Texas at Austin.

Dean Karlan is the Frederic Esser Nemmers Distinguished Professor of Economics and Finance at Northwestern University, co-Director with Christopher Udry of the Global Poverty Research Lab at Northwestern University, and the Founder and former President of Innovations for Poverty Action, a non-profit organization dedicated to discovering and promoting solutions to global poverty problems. Karlan also previously served on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the M.I.T. Jameel Poverty Action Lab. In 2015, he also co-founded ImpactMatters, a nonprofit dedicated to estimating and rating impact of nonprofit organizations in order to help donors choose good charities and to promote more transparency in the nonprofit sector.

His research focuses on microeconomic issues of poverty, typically employing experimental methodologies and behavioral economics insights to examine what works, what does not, and why to address social problems. His work spans many geographies and topics, including sustainable income generation for those in abject poverty, credit and savings markets for low income households, agriculture for smallholder farmers, small and medium entrepreneurship and smoking cessation, and charitable giving. He has worked in over twenty countries around the world, including both low-income countries and the United States.

As a social entrepreneur, he co-founded stickK.com, a website that uses lessons from behavioral economics to help people reach personal goals, such as weight loss and smoking cessation, through commitment contracts.

In 2011, Karlan co-authored More Than Good Intentions: How a New Economics is Helping to Solve Global Poverty; in 2016 he co-authored Failing in the Field; in 2018 he co-authored The Goldilocks Challenge: Right-Fit Evidence for the Social Sector; and in 2020 he co-authored the third edition of a economics principles textbook, Economics.

Karlan received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He was awarded distinguished alumni awards from the University of Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business and the Duke University Talent Identification Program.

Previously, Karlan was the Samuel C Park, Jr Professor of Economics at Yale University, and Assistant Professor of Economics at Princeton University. Karlan received a Ph.D. in Economics from M.I.T., an M.B.A. and an M.P.P. from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. in International Affairs from the University of Virginia.

Mohamed Abdel-Kader serves as USAID’s Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Director of the Innovation, Technology, and Research Hub. In these roles, he oversees various Agency mechanisms to promote the application of innovation, technology, and research for greater aid effectiveness within USAID and the inter-agency, and with our partners in the international development community, private sector, and civil society.

Prior to USAID, Mohamed advised companies, leading NGOs and multilateral organizations, foundations and educational institutions, and government agencies in addressing their most pressing challenges. He served in the Obama administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International and Foreign Language Education in the U.S. Department of Education and later led the Aspen Institute’s Stevens Initiative, an international ed-tech program. He has also served several postsecondary institutions in international strategy and major gift fundraising roles.

A speaker of fluent Arabic and basic Spanish, Mohamed is a Truman National Security Fellow, an Eisenhower Fellow, and the author of a children’s book about stereotypes. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Clemson University, a Master’s degree in Higher Education from Vanderbilt University, and an MBA from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. He is also a trustee of the Longview Foundation for International Education & World Affairs.

Alexis Bonnell is the Chief Information Officer and Director of the Digital Capabilities Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory, the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. She is responsible to develop and execute the AFRL Information Technology strategy, leading the strategic development of highly advanced next generation technologies and platforms for AFRL. Her focus includes catalyzing the discovery, development, and integration of warfighting technologies for air, space, and cyberspace forces via digital capabilities, IT infrastructure and technological innovation across the lab’s operations and culture. 
 
She was one of the first employees of the Internet Trade Association, contributing to the early development and growth of the digital landscape. She has served in challenging environments, including warzones with the United Nations to support over $1B of critical DOD operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and many other operational theaters. She has contributed to dual-use technology and innovation culture across the DOD Innovation community including: AFWERX, AFRL, Kessel Run, NavalX, Marine Innovation Unit, Army Futures Command, DIU, Army Software Factory, DARPA and more. Prior to her current position, she was the Emerging Technology Evangelist at Google, driving the use of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, cyber security/zero trust, API First, Big Data, Cloud Computing, and others to drive efficiency and innovation within government organizations, including tackling digital transformation in defense, healthcare, education, COVID response, natural disasters, supply chain, system/process modernization, hybrid workforce and more.

David Brown is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, and currently serves as TSO Director in the E&E bureau. He provides expertise, analysis, and executive management in support of the Bureau’s core objective of pursuing democratic governance and economic reform as mutually reinforcing objectives. TSO consists of three divisions: Economic Growth; Democracy and Governance; Energy and Critical Infrastructure.

Previously, he was USAID’s first Senior Development Advisor to Greenland. As USAID’s Principal Officer, he was charged with deepening the US engagement with Greenland and Denmark through the use of foreign assistance in three pillars: (1) positive influence by supporting mineral resource and energy sector governance; (2) strengthening ties by enhancing economic competitiveness; and (3) advancing economic opportunities through tourism and the development of sustainable rural communities.

Susan Chodakewitz serves as Cadmus’ Chief Growth Strategy Officer. She oversees purpose-driven corporate growth and strategy to support Cadmus’ mission and vision in the United States and globally. A highly accomplished executive with a broad and diverse portfolio of accomplishments, Sue has worked with the federal government, commercial industry, international NGOs, and nonprofit organizations.

Susan was president and CEO of Nathan Associates prior to its acquisition by Cadmus. She was also previously President of Tetra Tech AMT (AMT), a wholly owned subsidiary of Tetra Tech, and a senior vice president at SAIC. In addition, she spent almost ten years at Booz Allen Hamilton, supporting clients across multiple markets. Early in her career, she worked in the U.S. government and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Susan holds a master’s degree in Russian studies from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in international relations and Russian studies from Lehigh University. She is a member of several for-profit Boards of Directors and serves on the Executive Committee of the Professional Services Council (PSC), chairs the PSC’s Council of International Development Companies Executive Advisory Board, and is vice chair of The Stimson Center. She has won numerous awards and recognitions for her professional accomplishments, technical expertise, and community service.

Patrick Francis is the Practice Lead / Senior Director for MCC’s Environmental and Social Performance Practice group.  Patrick has more than 30 years of experience in the international development arena and brings extensive experience to his role at MCC.  Patrick has worked on range of projects in over 35 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle-East and North America, addressing the environmental, social, institutional, socio-economic and financial aspects of investment projects across multiple sectors.  Areas of particular expertise include environmental and natural resource management and the establishment and management of environmental financing facilities.   He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resource Management from Michigan State University, a Master of Science in Environmental Policy & Advocacy from the University of Michigan and has carried out post-graduate studies in public finance and economics at the University of Bath (UK). 

Prior to joining MCC, Patrick lived and worked abroad for over 20 years. He worked in a variety of capacities for a number of international and national organizations, including the Peace Corps, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, OECD, United Nations, UK Government, USAID, the German Agency for International Cooperation, and the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  He has led and supervised teams of partner-country and international staff, has held senior management positions on major, long-term development projects, and served as Managing Director of a small consulting firm based in Switzerland which he co-founded. 

As Head of Corporate Public Affairs for the DHL Group in the Americas, Roger Libby manages the engagement of Congress and the Administration on climate change, customs, energy, homeland security, trade, and transportation policies. Since he joined DHL in 2004, Roger has served as public policy and political process subject matter expert for the company, U.S. government, and multiple industry associations. A regular public speaker on the integration of policy and industry trends with a deep network of senior government officials and thought leaders, he has built a high performing team of policy specialists, coordinating across functions and divisions withing the region to deliver concrete policy results for the group and the transportation industry

Roger is the immediate past president of the Express Association of America, Board Member for the National Foreign Trade Council, and Chair of the Policy Committee of the U.S. Department of Commerce Investment Advisory Council (IAC). He played a central role in setting up the Air Cargo Advanced Screening (ACAS) program, for which he was recognized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He previously served as Sherpa to the United Nations High-level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport and was a member of the TSA Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC).

Prior to DHL, Roger served in the U.S. Department of Transportation from 2002 until 2004, where he was twice recognized by the Secretary, and worked in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1997 until 2002 for Rep. Zach Wamp (TN) and Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY), then Chairman of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee.

Michael Metzler serves as the Executive Director of the USAID Private Sector Engagement (PSE) Hub, and
manages the Agency’s relationship with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.

Previously, Mr. Metzler was the Director of USAID’s Development Credit Authority (DCA) in which he successfully led efforts that mobilized over $6 billion of new financing for development projects in over 80 countries. He was also a leading Agency voice on the development of the BUILD Act, which created the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and managed the successful merger of the DCA office and program into the DFC.

Prior to his DCA work, Mr. Metzler served as the Director of USAID's Economic Growth Office in Serbia, where he managed a diverse portfolio of projects focused on regulatory reform, local economic development, agriculture, enterprise competitiveness and economic security.

Mark D. Simakovsky serves as Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia (E&E) at USAID, with a portfolio supporting E&E programs on democracy, development and governance, as well as overseeing regional and bilateral programs for Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus. Mr. Simakovsky is the Bureau lead on Ukraine and Russia policy and represents E&E in the interagency, Congress and the Administration on Ukraine and Russia-related issues.

Mr. Simakovsky brings over 15 years of national security experience in the private sector and the U.S. government, including work at the State Department, Department of Defense, and Congress, focused on U.S. national security challenges in Europe and Eurasia. Most recently, Mr. Simakovsky was Senior Vice President at Beacon Global Strategies, a national security consulting firm in Washington, DC from 2015-2021. He was also a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center from 2015-2021.

David has over 30 years of experience as a senior economic policy advisor, project manager and executive, for international development projects and companies working in developing, post-conflict and transition countries. He has worked in the areas of macroeconomic policy; fiscal policy and administration (taxation and budgeting); competitiveness; inclusive market systems; workforce development; post-conflict economic governance; trade and investment climate; and pension reform.

David joined IDG as the CEO in 2009, growing the organization from a small company to an organization now among the top 25 USAID implementing partners, with annual revenues over $20 million. David previously held positions as Senior Vice President with AECOM International Development; as a Principal with The Services Group; as a Macro-Economic Policy Advisor for the Harvard Institute for International Development in Ukraine; and as a Legislative Correspondent for then-Senator Joe Biden. He served as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center.

David holds a PhD and MPP in Public Policy from Harvard University and an AB from Princeton University. He speaks fluent Russian, as well as basic Ukrainian, Spanish, and German. David enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with his three daughters and wife.

Mr. Stein is currently the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Global Information Services (A/GIS). In this role, he is the Department’s Senior Agency Official for Privacy. He is a career member of the Senior Executive Service. Prior to serving as the A/GIS DAS, he served as the Director of the Office of Information Programs and Services at the State Department.  This office is responsible for the Department’s records management, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Privacy Act, classification, declassification, library, and other records and information access programs. Over the past few years, Mr. Stein has served in key leadership roles involving the Department’s improvement of records management and agency-wide FOIA initiatives. He also serves as co-chair of an interagency FOIA technology working group led by the Department of Justice and the National Archives and Records Administration. From 2013 to 2015, Mr. Stein served as the acting Director of the Office of Global Publishing Solutions (A/GIS/GPS) responsible for the Department’s printing, publishing, graphics, and copier management services. He also spent four years in the Office of Management Policy, Rightsizing, and Innovation (M/PRI), now the Office of Management Strategy and Solutions, where he served as the Department’s coordinator on the Information Sharing Environment, an interagency effort to improve the sharing of terrorism-related information throughout the federal government, as well as with State, local, and tribal governments, and foreign partners. Mr. Stein served as an intra- and interagency coordinator on the State Department’s efforts to mitigate the WikiLeaks incidents. During this assignment, he also served as the Department’s point of contact for Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) mandated by Executive Order 13556, tribal consultations, and other cross-cutting, Department-wide programs. Mr. Stein received a B.A. in Political Science from Boston College and an M.A. in Politics (American Government) from the Catholic University of America.

Ms. Kathryn Stratos joined the U.S. Agency for International Development in 1991 to work on its assistance program for Eastern Europe. She has managed agriculture, democracy and governance, and health programs, and completed a tour with USAID’s Central Asia mission. She has worked as an analyst, press, budget and program officer. She has worked on climate and development issues full-time since 2012. She currently leads the Center for Climate Positive Development (CCPD) within the Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security (REFS). Ms. Stratos has a Master’s of Public Affairs from the University of Texas and a Bachelor’s in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia.

Sarah is responsible for managing global government relations for the Americas, supply chain and trade issues at Walmart. In this capacity, she advocates for Walmart priorities in legislation and trade negotiations that impact the company’s worldwide sourcing, e-commerce and retail distribution rights. She also leads a team that drives federal and international advocacy to promote laws, policies and regulations that reduce risk and advance dignity at work within priority supply chains. The team also advocates for public policies that support Walmart’s ambitions related to climate, nature and waste globally and in select supply chains and markets. Most recently, Sarah has also taken over responsibility for directing Walmart’s government relations in Latin America, focusing on engagement with governments and regulatory agencies in the region.

Throughout his 36-year career, Eduardo has designed and executed market-led approaches to accelerate inclusive economic growth and generate employment opportunities. He is a recognized expert in the areas of inclusive supply chain solutions and has particular expertise in crafting and managing public-private alliances. He has worked in a total of 64 countries generating private sector investments and transforming value chains across industries ranging from agriculture to financial services. Eduardo was co-founder and CEO of CARANA Corporation, now part of Palladium. Prior to Palladium and CARANA, Eduardo was a senior management consultant at Arthur D. Little. He has an AB from Harvard University and an MA from University of Wisconsin

Paul Foldi is PSC’s Vice President for International Development Affairs, where he serves as lead for the Council of International Development Companies (CIDC), focused on the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Department of State.

Working with members of CIDC’s ten-member Executive Advisory Board as well as CIDC’s Procurement Reform Task Force, he ensures a unified voice on matters of mutual concern when addressing regulatory issues with the federal government. In addition, he acts as    CIDC’s advocate with key Congressional offices and committees to advocate for CIDC on the Hill. Prior to joining PSC in 2013, Mr. Foldi served for 10 years on the staff of Sen. Richard Lugar’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee and for 13 years before that as an American diplomat in the Department of State.