Will Davis, director of the U.N. Development Program’s Washington representation office, has been named the new executive director of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a network of political, academic, business, nonprofit and military leaders who support the robust use of “smart power” in U.S. foreign policy.
Davis’ appointment was the product of a recruitment process that began during the summer of 2014, according to a source familiar with the process. He will assume his new role in mid-April, and will report to USGLC’s founder and president, Liz Schrayer, who plans to continue leading the organization’s strategic engagement.
Devex recently covered USGLC’s annual tribute dinner — known in D.C. development circles as the “smart power prom” — where the organization honored former U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah in the final months of his tenure.
At UNDP, Davis served as a liaison between the U.N. branch and the U.S. congress, as well as the wide range of other U.S. development interests based in Washington, D.C. Davis is married to U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration Anne Richard.
“Will has extensive bipartisan ties to Capitol Hill and the foreign policy and political communities, and has exceptional depth of knowledge about our issues,” Schrayer said in a press release.
There has been no announcement yet of who will succeed Davis at UNDP when he vacates his post next month.
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