Media Advisory: February 28th Telephonic Press Conference with USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah
USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah
USAID

Dr. Shah will provide a readout of his February 21st trip to Somalia and USAID's goals going forward.

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

EVENT:

Please join us on Thursday, February 28th for a telephonic press conference with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah. Dr. Shah will provide a readout of
his February 21st trip to Somalia and USAID's goals going forward. Administrator Shah will also discuss USAID's current programming in the country, which includes both humanitarian assistance and innovative
community driven development projects that have had a positive effect on communities across Somalia.

BACKGROUND:

USAID's Administrator Rajiv Shah traveled to Somalia on February 21, 1013. He is the highest-ranking U.S. government official to visit Somalia in more than 20 years.

DETAILS:

Speaker: United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah

Date: Thursday, February 28, 2013

Time: 7:30 EST | 12:30 GMT |13:30 West Africa | 14:30 Central | 15:30 East Africa

Language: English

Bio: Rajiv Shah
 

Groundrules: ON THE RECORD

Dial-in Info: U.S. Domestic: (800) 230-1059
International: +1-612-234-9959
Confirmation Number: 284343

RSVP: To afmediahub@state.gov with names and affiliations.

http://africamediahub.state.gov 

BIO:

Dr. Rajiv Shah serves as the 16th Administrator of USAID and leads the efforts of more than 8,000 professionals in 80 missions around the world.

Since being sworn in on Dec. 31, 2009, Shah managed the U.S. Government's response to the devastating 2010 earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti; co-chaired the State Department's first review of
American diplomacy and development operations; and now spearheads President Barack Obama's landmark Feed the Future food security initiative. He is also leading "USAID Forward," an extensive set of
reforms to USAID's business model focusing on seven key areas, including procurement, science & technology, and monitoring & evaluation.

Before becoming USAID's Administrator, Shah served as undersecretary for research, education and economics, and as chief scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At USDA, he launched the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which significantly elevated the status and funding of agricultural research.

Prior to joining the Obama administration, Shah served for seven years with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, including as director of agricultural development in the Global Development Program, and as director of strategic opportunities.

Originally from Detroit, Shah earned his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School and his master's in health economics from the Wharton School of Business. He attended the London School of Economics and is a graduate of the University of Michigan.

Shah is married to Shivam Mallick Shah and is the father of three children. He lives in Washington, D.C.

LOGISTICS:

• We will ask that callers dial-in to the conference call 10-15 minutes early.
• When an individual journalist dials-in, the operator will collect the caller's name, press affiliation, and location.
• When an embassy dials in, the operator will NOT ask the embassy coordinator for the names of every journalist at the participating embassy, but only the embassy's name and location.
• Administrator Shah will give brief opening remarks.
• The moderator will facilitate the Q and A among the connected callers. Journalists on the conference call will be instructed to push the "*" and "one" buttons on their phones in order to enter the question queue. NOTE: You can press star one at any time during the call to join the question queue, even before the moderator begins the Q and A portion of the call. We ask that journalists limit themselves to one question only for each time they press "star" and "one". Participants may press "star" and "one" more than once should they wish to ask more than one question.
• The moderator will then announce the location of each questioner. The questioner should state his/her name and affiliation before asking the question.
• Near the end of the allotted time, the moderator will announce the last question. At the end of the final answer, the operator will announce the conclusion of the conference call.