Catherine Russell, who currently serves as assistant to the U.S. president and director of the powerful White House Office of Presidential Personnel, will be the next executive director at UNICEF.
On Friday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced his intention to appoint Russell. She will succeed Henrietta Fore, who has led the agency since 2018 and announced in July she would step down before the end of her five-year term due to family health challenges.
Russell’s connections to the White House and to President Joe Biden run deep.
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During former U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration, Russell was the U.S. ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues at the State Department after serving as chief of staff to then-second lady Jill Biden. Russell’s husband, Thomas Donilon, was Obama’s national security adviser, while Mike Donilon, her brother-in-law, was chief strategist for Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign.
“Ambassador Cathy Russell has been a trusted and indispensable advisor to Jill and me for nearly 30 years,” Biden wrote in a statement. “Cathy is exceptionally well-prepared to lead UNICEF’s critical work on behalf of young people around the world. UNICEF is lucky to have her.”
Russell is “incredibly close to @POTUS and his team. Since the U.S. is the largest financial contributor to @UNICEF, it's key to have someone who has access to the top,” tweeted Peter Yeo, president at the Better World Campaign, calling her appointment a “Smart decision by @POTUS.”
Officially, the U.N. secretary-general appoints UNICEF’s executive director. However, the position has always been held by an American. The United States is the largest financial contributor to UNICEF and played a key role in the agency’s creation. Total financial contributions to the agency topped $7 billion in 2020.
Russell’s name emerged as a contender for the position in July, shortly after Fore announced her resignation. It is unclear whether the White House submitted any additional candidates for consideration.
In response to questions from Devex about the process, Stéphane Dujarric — a spokesperson for Guterres — wrote that member states were invited to nominate candidates, applications were evaluated against the qualifications required for the position, and shortlisted candidates were interviewed by a panel of senior officials who submitted their recommendations to the secretary-general.
“We do not release shortlists for vacancies,” Dujarric wrote to Devex in an email last month.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF has played a key role in the distribution of vaccines through COVAX, the global vaccine-sharing initiative. UNICEF describes itself as “the largest single vaccine buyer in the world” and is responsible for organizing the international transport of vaccine shipments.
At the same time, the agency is confronting the collateral damage that COVID-19 has caused for children, including a learning crisis brought on by school closures, steep drop-offs in routine vaccinations, and rising mental health costs.
“Catherine Russell will bring a wealth of expertise to UNICEF’s work, and I am delighted to hand over to someone with her knowledge, experience, and deep care for children and women,” Fore said in a statement Friday.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
