Javier O. Castano

USAID is the lead U.S. Government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. USAID's overall Mission focuses on ending extreme poverty and promoting resilient, democratic societies while advancing the United States' security and prosperity.

Official title: Foreign Service Officer, a Consular Officer, and a Secretary in the Diplomatic Service of the United States of America (114th Congress). Retiring with the rank of FS-01 (Department of Defense protocol equivalency: GS-15/O-6).

Postings include:
- U.S. Southern Command - Doral, Florida;
- U.S. Embassy - Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic;
- U.S. Embassy - Phnom Penh, Cambodia;
- U.S. Embassy - Kinshasa, D.R. Congo;
- U.S. Embassy - Hanoi, Vietnam;
- U.S. Embassy - Kabul, Afghanistan; and
- USAID headquarters in Washington D.C.

As the Deputy Development Advisor at U.S. Southern Command from 2024 - 2025, I work with our Department of Defense partners to align policies, planning and programming, and outreach to advance U.S. foreign policy. This allows access and transparency between both agencies on policy, planning, outreach, and education in pursuit of better development outcomes through joint cooperation, where appropriate.

In my role as a U.S. Government Contracting and Grants Officer from 2010 - 2024, I was responsible for portfolios in multiple USAID overseas operating units valued in excess of $3 billion in aggregate. Highlights of my major roles and responsibilities include: Serving as turnkey Contracts and Grants Officer providing procurement, administration, and termination support; Hiring, mentoring, and training of contract and grant specialists; Opening the first USAID procurement office in Vietnam; Coaching foreign grantees on working with the U.S. Government; Working closely with USAID's Inspector General regarding identified fraud and malfeasance; and Direct engagement with host country government ministries.

The Navy Supply Corps is the United States Navy staff corps concerned with supply, logistics, combat support, readiness, contracting, and fiscal matters.

• Serving as Deputy Director of the N4 (Supply and Logistics) directorate for the U.S. Southern Command Navy Reserve unit, Navy Reserve Center - Miami.

• Designated as a unit certifying official and mustering official.

• Commanded 30 U.S. Navy officers during Officer Development School training.

KPMG, LLP is a professional services firm that provides audit, tax and advisory services to clients. As an Associate in the Advisory Practice specializing in Real Estate and Construction Advisory, I worked with multiple engagement teams to provide services designed to assist clients in improving major capital projects and program performance. This included:

- Performance of construction contract audits;
- Contract compliance reviews;
- Construction claims reviews;
- Business process assessments for large capital projects;
- Forensic investigations related to construction fraud; and
- Project controls testing.

Holder Construction is a medium-size General Contractor based in Atlanta, Georgia with satellite offices throughout the United States. Focusing on the commercial construction sector, Holder has experience throughout most of the United States as well as select countries overseas. As a Pre-Construction Engineer, I focused on construction trade buyout and other construction contracting functions, including:

- Awarding of trade contracts and purchase orders for new construction and renovations;
- Preparing internal construction cost and quantity estimates;
- Preparing proposals for project owners and representatives; and
- Leading trade coordination meetings with contractors.

Accordingly, I focused on contracts for commercial office buildings, data centers, and aviation projects, for example.