President Obama announced his intention Thursday to nominate Gayle Smith, a senior aide on his national-security staff, to lead the U.S. Agency for International Development.
“Gayle’s energy and passion have been instrumental in guiding America’s international development policy, responding to a record number of humanitarian crises worldwide, and ensuring that development remains at the forefront of the national security agenda at a time when USAID is more indispensable than ever,” Mr. Obama said.
If confirmed by the Senate, Ms. Smith would replace Rajiv Shah, who stepped down in February after five years as administrator of the U.S. government’s $20 billion foreign assistance portfolio.
Ms. Smith, 59, would be responsible for leading the government’s response to humanitarian disasters like the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and the refugee crisis in Syria.
A veteran of the Clinton and Obama administrations, she has served since 2009 as special assistant to the president and senior director for development and democracy on the National Security Council staff.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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