Indian American to head USAID program

An Indian American woman was sworn in this week as the U.S. Agency for International Development's new mission director for the West Africa Regional Program (WARP).

 

Dr. Jatinder Cheema was sworn in by Administrator Andrew S. Natsios at the headquarters of USAID in Washington, DC Wednesday.

 

As Mission Director to WARP, Cheema will oversee a program totaling approximately $40 million in development and humanitarian assistance. WARP's programs promote regional economic integration and trade, support the adoption of effective health policies, enhance regional capacity to achieve food security, and improve conditions for peace and security.

 

A senior Foreign Service officer, Cheema has served for over 15 years at USAID in four overseas posts. Her most recent post was in the role of Mission Director to Eritrea, where she has served since September 2001.

 

From 1999-2001,

she served as USAID Deputy Director in Armenia where she was responsible for the U.S. assistance program for the politically sensitive and disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. In addition, Cheema served as Supervisory General Development officer for the Central Asia Republic mission from 1995-1999; Health Population officer for the mission in Burkina Faso from 1991-1995; and health specialist for the mission in Bangladesh from 1990-1991.

 

A native of Virginia, Cheema has a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, as well as a master's degree in Public Health from the University of Michigan. She also received a second master's degree from the University of New Delhi. Cheema has working knowledge of French and Russian and is fluent in Hindi and Punjabi.