Just two years after the U.S. Agency for International Development wrapped up one of the biggest structural reorganizations in its history, the agency’s leaders are planning another round of changes — while acknowledging not everyone is on board with the idea.
One reason for these readjustments is that a new bureau representing a major piece of the previous administration’s “transformation agenda” for USAID isn’t working, officials say. A second reason is that USAID’s leadership wants to create a new policy office at the agency to support Administrator Samantha Power’s elevated role on the White House National Security Council, where she is the first USAID chief with a permanent seat.
“Doing a further reorganization was like the last thing I wanted to do. So we go into this wanting to do it in a very limited way,” USAID Chief of Staff Dennis Vega told members of the Society for International Development, a network of development professionals who work with USAID, on Sept. 8. Devex obtained a recording of the private briefing, which was held to get feedback on the proposed changes.