In 2003, Sherri Kraham traveled to Iraq for the Coalition Provisional Authority as part of the first civilian team dedicated to reconstruction efforts. As deputy director of the CPA’s Office of Management and Budget and director of its Program Review Board, Kraham said she learned “some profound lessons.”
“It was the most compelling professional experience I’ve ever had, and the most challenging,” she says.
Kraham was up to the difficult task, having previously overseen a budget of approximately USD5 billion for the State Department’s programs on humanitarian assistance, development, democracy promotion, human rights, and peacekeeping and security. She spent the previous three years focused specifically on Iraq.
It was at the State Department that Kraham developed a leadership philosophy that was inspired by former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
“A good leader focuses on attracting and retaining good people, by inspiring them, encouraging their ideas and their action, caring about their welfare, and holding them accountable,” says Kraham.
Today, Kraham applies that philosophy to her work at the Millennium Challenge Corp., which she help launch as one of its original staff members. As managing director for two policy divisions within MCC, Kraham works to promote policy reform and aid effectiveness. She keeps in mind some important lessons she learned along the way.
“In the international development field,” she says, “if we want to ensure that our resources are achieving impact, we need to have a more honest dialogue about what works and what doesn’t.”
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