For Alexa Courtney, 31, innovation is becoming a modus operandi. Upon leaving the U.S. Agency for International Development, she received a special award for innovation in “irregular development” for driving USAID to launch a nontraditional civilian approach to counterterrorism and counterinsurgency.
Courtney believes it’s crucial to effectively translate the priorities and culture of two communities of actors – those working in the field and the policymakers in Washington.
“It was clear that people looked to her for guidance and leadership because she brings a clear and articulate vision to problem solving, and possesses keen analytical abilities that easily translate into comprehensible material for policymakers,” said Elisabeth Kvitashvili, Courtney’s former boss in USAID’s Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation.
Courtney joined the private sector to develop a skills set “focused on organizational change, that would help me look at our national security establishment and USAID’s role within it from an integrated systems perspective.” Now an associate at Booz Allen Hamilton, Courtney is working with senior military officials to craft strategies for supporting civilian agencies to plan and execute complex operations. In this vein, she was the lead author for the Joint Relief and Reconstruction Concept, due to be signed by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The concept will drive changes in doctrine, training and education across the joint force as the military seeks to enable civilian agencies.
Courtney also is a member of Booz Allen’s Smart Power Executive Steering Committee. In that capacity, she is helping to structure a strategic simulation intended to “surface organizational change strategies assisting our U.S. government clients to evolve their institutions and train their workforce to think and act as a whole-of-government team, partnering with business, international organizations, and NGOs to leverage all available resources,” she said.
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About the author
Josh Miller
Josh joined Devex's Washington office in early 2010 as an international development correspondent covering U.S. aid reform, the D.C. development scene and Latin America. He previously served as a marketing communications coordinator for TechnoServe, a news production specialist for the Associated Press and a news desk assistant for the PBS NewsHour. He has reported for publications in Caracas, Chicago, Madrid, New Delhi, Philadelphia, and Washington, and holds a bachelor's degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.