Staff Spotlight is a series created by the GH Communications Team that features personal interviews with GH staff. By sharing the stories of various staff members’ backgrounds and experiences, we hope this series will help bring USAID’s global community closer together. This week we’d like to introduce Nithya Mani, Implementation Support Division Chief for HIV/AIDS at USAID Washington.
Q. How did you get involved in development work?
A. Well, I've been interested in health care for as long as I can remember – my dad was an infectious diseases doctor and always inspired me, and I also visited my extended family in India at least once a year. I grew up thinking that I would become a doctor, but decided to pursue my Masters in Public Health instead. Once I graduated, after a brief internship at Population Services International (PSI) working on the AIDSMARK project, I applied for a job in USAID's Africa Bureau as a research assistant on the HIV/AIDS team. My first day on the job was the day after President Bush was inaugurated in 2001. And my first boss and now mentor was Roxana Rogers, who later moved on to become one of OHA's office directors!
Q. If you weren't working in development or public health, what would you be doing? Why?
A. Picture this: outdoors, health/wellness, yoga, dogs, horses, and kids. And a therapeutic component! Perhaps some sort of retreat that helps you explore nature and re-energizes you through yoga practice, playing with dogs, and riding horses. I'm still working on the sales pitch!
Q. What might someone be surprised to learn about you?
A. I was kissed by Bono in the Department of State lobby. When I was working at the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) from 2003–05, Bono came to meet with Joe O'Neill, then Acting U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. My colleague Karen and I lurked outside the meeting room, hoping to catch a glimpse. We saw him standing there looking like a total rock star – blue shades, black jeans, black denim jacket. When the meeting ended and Joe introduced us, Bono kissed me on each cheek. He went on and on about who knows what, I can't remember a word I was so star-struck. That was my first week on the job at OGAC, and I remember my former boss Roxana saying, "We're never getting her back!"
Q. What's the hardest thing you've ever done?
A. Cutting funding for good programs. Over the course of my career, I've found myself in several situations where we had to restructure our budget, whether as a result of budget cuts or even just shifting priorities. When I was working at USAID/Thailand, the Mission had been supporting an orphanage that was providing home-based care. When our budget was cut, we had to close that program and shift our investment to higher burden populations, which totally made sense from a programmatic perspective. That was really hard because I had gotten to know the staff and been involved as a volunteer on site. We had to do the same for our female sex worker programs in Laos, which was even harder as we didn't have bridge funding immediately lined up. As a good public health practitioner, I totally get it, but it's still hard, that human part. There's always a person behind the programs we've been supporting.
Q. If you could witness any event – past, present or future – what would it be and why?
A. I would love to meet Gandhi, and witness his leadership of the Indian independence movement. I've always been so amazed by his courage and dedication to lead so deliberately, yet peacefully.
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