WASHINGTON, D.C. – Jason Fraser was sworn in today as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) mission director to Angola.  Fraser assumes leadership over a portfolio of programs that support democracy and governance, the electoral process, economic growth, and the President's Malaria Initiative.

Fraser began his career at USAID as a legal officer in the office of the General Counsel where he was responsible for the Latin America and Caribbean region. Most recently, Fraser served as Deputy Mission Director at USAID’s mission in Ethiopia where he directly oversaw programs in health, education, agriculture, economic growth, and democracy and governance with a portfolio of over $800 million. In this capacity he was instrumental in providing overall strategy and insight into the mission's new Country Development Cooperation Strategy, the Feed the Future Program, the Global Health Strategy as well as advancing the President's Initiatives in Malaria and Power Africa.

Prior to his time in Ethiopia, Fraser served as the Supervisory Regional Legal Advisor for the Caribbean region based in the Dominican Republic. He provided legal and regulatory advice to mission management in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Guyana, and for the Caribbean regional program based in Barbados. During his tenure in the Caribbean region, Fraser was responsible for providing legal and regulatory advice to the Haitian mission during the devastating earthquake of 2010. Fraser has also served as the regional legal advisor for USAID’s regional program for Southern Africa, based in Gaborone, Botswana where he provided legal, regulatory, and policy counsel to several USAID missions in Southern Africa. During Mr. Fraser's time in Southern Africa, he provided advice on a number of development credit authority transactions throughout the region and also assisted in the relocation of the Botswana mission to South Africa.

Prior to joining USAID, Fraser was an associate at the law firm of Peabody and Arnold, LLP based in Boston, Massachusetts and Cadwalader, Wickersham and Taft, LLP based in New York practicing real estate financing, development and securitization law. Fraser is the recipient of several USAID Meritorious Honor and Superior Honor Awards. He is also a member in good standing of the New York and Massachusetts Bars.