When Rajiv Shah steps down as administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development early next month, someone will take over leadership of the U.S. government’s $20 billion foreign assistance portfolio. But who?
In the short term, we know the answer. Current Deputy Administrator Alfonso Lenhardt will step in as acting administrator when Shah vacates his position, and it is possible Lenhardt will ride out the remaining two years of the Obama administration in that role. It took almost a year to nominate and confirm Shah, after the administration vetted and considered other candidates, including health luminary Paul Farmer, who eventually ducked out of contention.
With the current level of antagonism between Capitol Hill and the White House, most aid watchers are skeptical the process would be any easier today. But Shah’s departure has still given rise to plenty of speculation — as well as some strongly worded arguments that failing to nominate a new administrator would cause the agency to suffer and backslide.
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.
