WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today,Jonathan Conly was sworn in as the new U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director for Pakistan. USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah presided over the ceremony and administered the oath in the presence of family, friends, colleagues, members of the Pakistani-American community and the Embassy of Pakistan’s Deputy Chief of Mission, Dr. Asad Majeed Khan.

As Mission Director for Pakistan, Conly will be responsible for managing USAID’s second-largest assistance program with the objective of supporting the development of an economically vibrant, secure and stable Pakistan that promotes peace and security in South and Southwest Asia. 

Through its activities, USAID partners with the national and provincial governments of Pakistan as well as with non-state institutions, to advance the democratic and economic sustainability of the Pakistani state and to strengthen non-governmental organizations that are important to promoting the legitimate interests and aspirations of the Pakistani people.  The program is focused on five key sectors: energy, economic growth, stabilization, education and health.

Conly’s 30 years of experience with USAID included an earlier stint in Pakistan from 1989 to 1990. Conly began his work in international development in 1971 as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone.  He joined USAID’s Foreign Service in 1977 and, since then, has been posted to Niger (1978-80), Bangladesh (1980-84), Egypt (1984-87), Pakistan (1989-90), Kenya (1998-2001), and Georgia (2009-11), serving as Mission Director in the last two posts.

Conly earned a BA (history and political science) from Union College, an MPA (development economics) from Princeton University, and an MS (national security studies) from the National War College.  He is married with three grown children.