I'm a Senior Advisor in USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). What exactly does that mean? The answer can vary from day to day - if not minute to minute.
In general, I support USDA's trade capacity building programs by advising, empowering, and advocating for our cadre of front-line project managers. I also provide counsel and support to an annual programming portfolio of roughly three-quarters of a billion dollars. This might mean persuading executives, arguing with lawyers, pulling reports, and analyzing whatever needs analysis - all before lunch.
I previously worked as a front-line project manager on a variety of initiatives relating to agricultural statistics, and monitoring and evaluation of program activities in emerging market countries. For good measure, I hold degrees from the University of Michigan, Colorado State University, and George Mason University; I'm PMP (project management) certified, with additional certifications in contracts management, and grants management; I speak four languages with varying degrees of proficiency; and I've conducted fieldwork in 29 states and 20 countries: I also firmly believe that a good project manager can't live behind a desk, and I make every effort (as time and budget allow) to see our programs in the field, and provide the same advice and assistance to our implementers.
I bring a strong results-oriented approach to everything I do: Just because "the way we've always done it" is known, doesn't mean it's the most effective, efficient, or even legally compliant. After understanding a program's objectives, I look to the status quo to determine whether it's the most suitable method of achieving those results; and, if not, I work with program staff to fix it.
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