Following the appointment of Eric Goosby to lead PEPFAR and then the interminable delays in finding a USAID Administrator, the administration (thankfully!) moved ahead with its intent to nominate Daniel Yohannes as MCC CEO. Yohannes, a West Coast entrepreneur, banker and philanthropist, emigrated to the U.S. from Ethiopia at the age of 17 with $150 in his pocket. His private sector background and can-do leadership style should prove useful in taking the MCC to the next stage – turning the promise of the model into proof of results. A big agenda for the new team to tackle and it will be interesting to see with whom he builds his senior management team. The Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance team looks forward to working with them going forward.Excerpt from the White House statement:Daniel W. YohannesHome State: ColoradoChief Executive Officer, Millennium Challenge CorporationMr. Yohannes is President and CEO of M&R Investments, LLC, a privately-held investment firm specializing in real estate, financial institutions and the green energy sector. Previously, he served as Vice Chairman of U.S. Bank for the Commercial Banking Group, Consumer Banking Group and as Head of Integration for Community and Public Affairs. In this role, his responsibilities included leading the integration of U.S. Bank and Firstar, which resulted in the 6th largest bank in the country. From 1992 to 1999, Yohannes was President and CEO of U.S. Bank (formerly Colorado National Bank), where he grew the Colorado franchise from $2 billion to $9 billion in assets. From 1997 to 1992, he worked at Security Pacific Bank (now Bank of America), where he held a number of leadership roles. Yohannes is on the Board of the National Jewish Hospital and Research Center, the Denver Art Museum, the University of Colorado Medical School and Project C.U.R.E., which provides medical supplies to 110 countries. Yohannes holds a B.S. in Economics from Claremont McKenna College and a M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.
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