Development work succeeds on judgment built in the field. The professionals here designed, funded, and ran assistance programs for the United States around the world.
The difference between a program that delivers and one that disappoints is usually the experience of the people running it. Browse the professionals below and reach out directly.
Members in this practice area
International Aid & Assistance
Showing 1–10 of 53
Ranked by relevance to International Aid & Assistance from verified member profiles.
Kirby Wedekind
12 years of military service
Risk | Intelligence | Security | Resilience
AI SummaryKirby Wedekind served in the US Marine Corps and DHS CISA, specializing in national security and infrastructure protection. Currently, he leads a risk advisory firm, leveraging his expertise in security and resilience.
Current
CEOHannibal Strategy and Security LLC
Former Government
Major / Combat Engineer Officer / Civil Affairs OfficerU.S. Marine Corps
AI SummaryDarcy Ostrander-Damon served 22 years in federal agencies, specializing in compliance, risk management, and ethics. Their roles involved policy design, regulatory enforcement, and internal investigations, equipping them for senior leadership in compliance and operations.
Current
FounderHeadwaters-The Passage LLC
Consulting
Former Government
Director, Foreign Assistance and Grants Management | Federal Title: Unit Lead/Senior Grant Officer, GS-14U.S. Department of State(DOS)
Global Government Affairs Professional & Economist
AI SummaryHenry Heilbroner served at USAID and the U.S. Department of State. His experience in economic development, policy analysis, and international relations suits him for roles in economic policy analysis, research, and project management.
Former Government
Regional China InternU.S. Department of State(DOS)
GLOBAL STRATEGY, INNOVATION & PARTNERSHIPS EXECUTIVE
AI SummaryServed at USAID, managing trade, partnerships, and development programs. Specializes in international trade, partnerships, and development strategy.
Former Government
Director, Development Partnerships and InnovationUSAID
Collaborating and innovating for natural resource management
AI SummaryAndrea Stone served 25 years in environmental protection and sustainable development, including roles at USAID and Accomack County, specializing in project management, policy, and environmental science.
Former Government
Foreign Service Officer, USAID Washington D.C.U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Committed to Public Service, Advocacy & Global Engagement
AI SummaryErica Herrmann served at the U.S. Department of Labor, focusing on child advocacy and international relations. Her roles involved policy formulation, research, and international diplomacy, equipping her for work in global policy and advocacy.
Former Government
Senior International Relations OfficerU.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
Child AdvocacyInternational Development
Practice Areas
Civil RightsVietnamAsia+1
Sectors
Museums, Historical Sites, & Similar InstitutionsEducationGovernment Services+1
Strategic Program Management Leader | Contracts & Grants
AI SummaryOver 20 years in strategic program and contract management, specializing in international assistance and crisis operations. Expertise in procurement, policy development, and program optimization.
Current
Senior Program & Procurement AdvisorU.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Former Government
White House InternThe White House
Practice Areas
Crisis ManagementGrant ReviewInternational Aid & Assistance +1
Sectors
Government ServicesAdministrative & Support ServicesProfessional & Business Services
Senior Global Health and Development Leader (USAID and HHS)
AI SummaryJason Taylor Wright served 25 years in global health and development with HHS and USAID, specializing in donor coordination and multilateral engagement.
Current
Developed Country NGO Board Delegation MemberGlobal Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria
Former Government
Special Assistant to Director and HIV/AIDS Advisor (GS-9-13)U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Practice Areas
Project Development & FinanceFoundationsNonprofit Organizations+1
Sectors
Health Science & Medical TechnologyHealthcare & Public HealthHealth Information Services+1
U.S. Diplomat, Retired (USAID) / U.S. Navy Reserve Officer
AI SummaryRetired USAID Foreign Service Officer with over a decade of experience managing multi-billion dollar global contracts and grants, skilled in procurement, foreign affairs, and strategic management.
Current
O-1U.S. Navy
Practice Areas
Government ContractsMilitary Nonprofit Organizations+1
Sectors
Business & FinanceProfessional & Business ServicesProfessional, Scientific, & Technical Services
Education & workforce strategy, grants, and systems
AI SummaryBrooke Estes served as a Foreign Service Officer at USAID for over a decade, specializing in education and workforce strategy. Their experience in data-driven strategic planning, program design, and stakeholder engagement suits them for roles in education systems and international development.
Former Government
Foreign Service Officer, EducationU.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Practice Areas
Project Development & FinanceEmploymentNonprofit Organizations+1
Organizations of all sorts often need guidance from people who have managed foreign assistance programs from the inside, whether they’re pursuing federal awards, navigating compliance and audit requirements, or adapting to changes in how aid is funded and delivered.
Winning donor-funded work
Designing programs and proposals that meet a funder's real priorities comes naturally to people who set those priorities and scored those proposals inside government.
Federal assistance compliance
Grants and cooperative agreements carry strict rules on procurement, subawards, and cost allowability, and former agreement officers have enforced every one of them.
Monitoring and evaluation
Funders expect evidence that programs work, and former M&E professionals build the frameworks and evaluations that stand up to scrutiny.
Operating in difficult environments
Delivering aid in fragile or conflict-affected settings takes security judgment and local knowledge that only field experience provides.
Partnership strategy
NGOs, contractors, and foundations engage former officials to navigate relationships with funding agencies, host governments, and multilateral institutions.
A shifting funding landscape
As assistance priorities and structures change, people who have lived through past transitions help organizations adapt rather than react.
Engaging an international aid professional
Why reach out to a former government professional for development work?
They have sat on the funder's side of the table: what wins awards, what fails audits, and what actually works in the field. That perspective is hard to build any other way.
How do I choose the right background for my situation?
Match the need: proposals and program design point to former program officers; compliance points to former agreement officers and auditors; country strategy points to former mission and country directors.
How does contacting someone work?
Open a profile and reach out directly. FormerGov connects you with the professional; there's no intermediary or fee to make contact.
Do members work independently or through firms?
Both. Some work through consultancies or implementing organizations, others independently; each profile describes how that professional engages.
Agencies and roles behind the directory
Where this expertise comes from
International Aid professionals hail from across the federal government. Several agencies utilize their skillsets to oversee missions of international importance, financial programs, diplomatic relationships, volunteer operations, and more.
USAID (United States Agency for International Development)
Former mission directors, program officers, and agreement officers map to program design, compliance, and field operations.
State Department
Former foreign assistance and refugee program officials map to policy alignment, host-government relations, and humanitarian response.
MCC (Millennium Challenge Corporation)
Former compact and threshold program professionals map to results-based program design and country partnership.
Peace Corps
Former country directors and staff map to community-level programming and volunteer operations.
Development finance and multilateral institutions
Former officials who worked with development banks and international organizations map to blended finance and multilateral engagement.
Oversight bodies
Former inspectors general and auditors of assistance programs map to compliance reviews and fraud prevention.
For former officials
Put your development experience to work
Implementers and funders are searching for professionals with exactly your background. Create a profile so they can find you.
