Verified profile

Rebecca L. Rushford

Program Manager | Economic & Community Development

LocationWashingtonDistrict of Columbia, United States

About

Program and operations professional with 10+ years of experience supporting community resilience and economic development initiatives in the U.S. and globally, including nearly eight years managing the full lifecycle of USG-funded (USAID) programs across Southern Africa, Rwanda, Pakistan, Georgia, and Armenia. Core experience includes grants and subaward management, federal compliance oversight, cross-functional coordination, and development of systems that support compliant, high-quality program delivery. Proven track record managing complex, multi-country portfolios from startup through closeout, strengthening partner relationships, and translating federal requirements into practical guidance for diverse teams. Brings a grounded approach to operationalizing development programs in resource-constrained settings, with a focus on aligning strategy with on-the-ground realities, partner capacity, and long-term sustainability. Professional proficiency in Spanish.

Core Competencies:

  • Program & Portfolio Management: Full Lifecycle Program and Project Management | Cross-Functional Team Coordination | Team Leadership, Supervision & Mentorship | Work Planning & Implementation | Performance Tracking | Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) | Reporting & Documentation | Cross-Cultural Communication & Collaboration

  • Research, Analysis & Learning: Program and Policy Analysis | Research Synthesis | Data Interpretation | Knowledge Management | Learning and Adaptation

  • Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement: Stakeholder Engagement | Partner and Donor Coordination | Public-Private Collaboration | External Communications & Reporting

  • Grants & Program Oversight: Grants and Subaward Management | Performance Monitoring | Budget Tracking & Financial Oversight | Compliance with Federal and Donor Requirements

  • Technical Areas: Market Systems & Value Chain Development | Private Sector Engagement | Food & Nutrition Security | Sustainable Agriculture | Economic and Community Resilience

  • Systems & Tools: Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) | Google Workspace | SharePoint | Salesforce & Givebutter | Monday & Airtable | AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude)

Roles

Jun 2017–Mar 2025
Former role

Senior Program Officer

CNFA

Washington, District of Columbia

Contracts / ContractingInternational DevelopmentProgram and Project ManagementAgriculture

Summary of Experience:  

  • Managed the full lifecycle of $150M+ in federally funded economic development and community resilience programs across Southern Africa, Rwanda, Pakistan, Georgia, and Armenia, ensuring quality, compliant, cost-effective delivery and strong relationships with partners, donors, and government stakeholders.

  • Supported market systems and value chain development by facilitating private-sector engagement, catalytic investment, and partnerships that expanded access to markets, finance, and technologies for entrepreneurs in agriculture, tourism, and tech, generating tens of thousands of jobs, $100M+ in sales and exports, and $30M+ in private investment.

  • Oversaw day-to-day management of programs from startup through closeout, overseeing contracts, grants, subcontracts, procurements, work plans, budgets, audits, and operational systems while coordinating cross-functional global teams and monitoring program performance to identify risks, bottlenecks, and opportunities to strengthen implementation.

  • Synthesized complex program data into reports, briefs, and presentations for donors, partners, and leadership to communicate results, lessons learned, and implementation progress.

  • Supported new business development through research, program design, stakeholder engagement, and proposal review, contributing to the successful capture of major awards, including the $28M USAID Feed the Future Rwanda Hinga Wunguke Activity.

  • Supervised and mentored junior staff, supported recruitment across project teams, and trained staff in areas related to project management, compliance, and technical approach.

Roles:

Senior Program Officer (May 2022 - Mar 2025): USAID Agriculture Program ($26.8M); USAID Resilient Communities Program ( $23.8M); USAID Georgia Hazelnut Improvement Program ($7.3M); USAID Economic Foundations for a Resilient Armenia Activity ($24.5M).

Closeout Advisor & New Business Capture Lead (Oct 2021 – Apr 2022): USAID Hinga Weze Activity ($32.6M); Feed the Future Rwanda Hinga Wunguke Activity ($28M).

Senior Program Officer (Jun 2021 – Sep 2021): USAID Pakistan Agricultural Transfer Technology Activity ($8.2M)

Program Officer (Jul 2019 - May 2021): USAID Pakistan Agricultural Transfer Technology Activity ($8.2M); Pakistan Agricultural Market Development program ($21M)

Program Coordinator (Oct 2017 – Jun 2019): USAID Pakistan Agricultural Transfer Technology Activity ($8.2M); Pakistan Agricultural Market Development program ($21M); USAID Feed the Future Rwanda Hinga Weze Activity ($32M).

Program Associate (Jun – Sep 2017): USAID Farmer-to-Farmer Program in Angola, Malawi, and Mozambique ($8M).