USAID humanitarian chief to step down in January

Sarah Charles, the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s humanitarian bureau, will step down in January, she wrote to staff on Monday in an email obtained by Devex. During Charles’ tenure, the agency’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance has overseen unprecedented amounts of funding and humanitarian response operations, supercharged by emergency funding packages to address humanitarian needs in Ukraine and the global fallout from COVID-19. The bureau administered nearly $12 billion in fiscal year 2022, a nearly 50% increase from the year before and nearly triple USAID’s humanitarian funding in 2016. USAID’s humanitarian workforce has been strained by a combination of proliferating global crises and long-standing internal challenges with staff hiring and retention. The bureau has also confronted major aid theft scandals in the countries where it works, including in Ethiopia, where it suspended humanitarian assistance for months in order to investigate and adopt new approaches to oversight. In recent weeks, more than 1,000 USAID staff have also signed on to an open letter calling for the U.S. government to support a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas and stating that humanitarian efforts are “largely rendered moot in situations of escalating and indiscriminate bombing and violence.” In her message to staff, Charles said the bureau “has never been stronger” and that her decision to leave was personal. “The only reason that I am leaving this role is that right now my family needs me and I need my family in a way that I am finding increasingly difficult to balance. And, I’m tired,” Charles wrote. A political appointee of President Joe Biden’s who joined USAID in 2021, Charles’ departure comes as his administration enters its final year — a not uncommon time for some political staff to leave. As assistant to the administrator, Charles reports directly to USAID Administrator Samantha Power. One humanitarian bureau employee told Devex they were not surprised by the announcement, noting that “she works nonstop.” Charles wrote that a decision about who will lead the bureau after she departs has not yet been made. “The ultimate decision about leadership is with the Administrator, but I am hopeful a decision will be made shortly and confident that the Bureau will be in excellent hands when I leave,” she wrote. There are currently three deputy assistants to the administrator in the bureau. Charles planned to step down at the end of the year — and informed USAID’s leadership Monday morning — but agreed to push back her last day into January at Power’s request, she told staff. Charles previously held a senior role at the International Rescue Committee and staffed the White House National Security Council. "USAID, and the wider humanitarian community, is fortunate to have had someone with Sarah's experience and compassion leading USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) the last two and half years,” USAID Chief of Staff Dennis Vega said in a statement to Devex. “At a time when the world is experiencing an increasing number of crises, the dedicated staff continuously step up to lead -- responding to 74 separate crises in 64 countries in 2023 alone,” he continued. “I want to thank Sarah and the entire BHA family for all they do to demonstrate U.S. leadership and compassion around the world. While Sarah will be difficult to replace, we look forward to sharing next steps with our staff soon." Update, Nov. 27, 2023: This article has been updated with additional comments from USAID.