Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is pleased to note the confirmation of Mark Feierstein as Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean and Nisha Desai Biswal as Assistant Administrator for Asia.

Mark Feierstein previously served as a principal and vice president at the international polling firm, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner. He has overseen public opinion research in over 30 countries, gaining insights into the views of citizens around the world on a range of topics. Before joining Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, Feierstein served as director of USAID's global elections office. He also worked in the State Department as special assistant to the U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States, where he negotiated with diplomats from the Americas on an array of regional issues. Prior to that, he was director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, overseeing programs to strengthen democratic institutions in developing countries. Feierstein, who is fluent in Spanish, has worked as a journalist in the United States and in Mexico and has published articles on international issues for leading major newspapers and journals. He received his B.A. magna cum laude from Tufts University and his M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Nisha Desai Biswal most recently served as the Majority Clerk for the State Department and Foreign Operations Subcommittee on the Committee on Appropriations in the U.S. House of Representatives which has jurisdiction over the State Department, USAID and other aspects of the international affairs budget. Ms. Biswal was the Director of Policy and Advocacy at InterAction, the largest alliance of U.S. based international humanitarian and development non-governmental organizations. She was on the professional staff of the House International Relations Committee where she was responsible for South and Central Asia policy as well as oversight of the State Department and USAID. Ms. Biswal previously served at USAID as Special Assistant to the Administrator and chief of staff in the Management Bureau in addition to positions in the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance and the Office of Transition Initiatives. Ms. Biswal has also worked with the American Red Cross both in their Washington headquarters and overseas as an international delegate in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. Ms. Biswal holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia.