Shah Sworn In As USAID Administrator

On January 7^th, in front of a standing room only crowd, Dr. Rajiv Shah was officially sworn-in as the new USAID Administrator. Presiding over the ceremony was Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who praised Shah as a “passionate, visionary experienced development expert” who would help in “rebuilding AID as the premier development agency in the world, bar none.” For his part, Administrator Shah embraced what he called “a unique moment of opportunity” for the Agency, one that ties directly to “the President’s bold vision to embrace development as indispensable to American foreign policy.” Overall, he reinforced many of the same principles in his remarks that had been laid out a day earlier by Secretary Clinton in her speech at CGD, championing the successes of U.S. foreign assistance while cautioning that major internal reforms are necessary to make USAID more effective. While the appointment of Administrator Shah represents a significant step forward for USAID, it should be noted that the bulk of the work is just beginning. I've talked before of the set of fundamental challenges facing Shah as he takes the helm of the Agency. Filling out the rest of his leadership crew -- 12 of which, like him, require Senate confirmation -- is at the top of the to-do list.  We're all anxious to see who emerges by his side!  Who would you like to see?