John Groarke Sworn in as USAID Mission Director for Haiti

UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Office of Press Relations

For Immediate Release

August 1, 2013

Washington, D.C.  – On August 1, 2013, United States Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah swore in John Groarke as Mission Director to Haiti. As Mission Director, Groarke will oversee USAID’s programs in infrastructure and energy, food and economic security, health and other basic services, and rule of law and governance.

Groarke most recently served as Mission Director to Morocco, where he oversaw a program that promoted the participation of youth in the country’s political reform process, supported reform of middle school education, and helped reduce barriers to trade and investment.

In 2010, Groarke led USAID’s efforts to implement President Obama’s new counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan. He served as Deputy Mission Director in Egypt from 2006 to 2009, managing the economic assistance program and leading the mission’s transition to a regional service center.

From 2005 to 2006, he served as Deputy Mission Director in Iraq. From 2002 to 2005, Groarke served as Senior Regional Legal Adviser for Egypt and for Iraq, which he helped open in 2003. He was also the Senior Regional Legal adviser for West Africa and for South Asia. In 2009, he received the Distinguished Honor Award, USAID’s highest performance award, for his service in Iraq and Egypt.

Prior to joining USAID in 1995, Groarke practiced corporate law in New York and Washington, D.C., and taught international law in London. He holds a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics, and a Bachelor’s Degree from New York University.

USAID has worked in Haiti for about 50 years. The Agency has been a leader in U.S. Government efforts to rapidly respond to the humanitarian emergency following the January 2010 earthquake, support recovery initiatives, and establish the foundation for reconstruction and longer-term development. Since the earthquake, the largest urban disaster in modern history, USAID efforts have provided shelter solutions to more than 328,000 displaced people. USAID also provides access to health services for approximately half the Haitian population and has worked with tens of thousands of farmers to increase their yields.

For more information about USAID and its programs, please visit www.usaid.gov

Press Contact: USAID Press Office – Telephone: +1-202-712-4320

Email: USAIDPressOfficers@usaid.gov