New USAID Mission Director for Ecuador Sworn In

(I-Newswire) June 13, 2005 - As Mission Director for Ecuador, Ms. Panehal will oversee one of the most challenging programs in South America. In 2005, the U.S. economic assistance for Ecuador totaled $36 million. The program provides assistance to Ecuador to strengthen their democracy, reduce drug trafficking and trade, improve the lives of the poor by providing better access to basic services and credit for small businesses, and promotes preservation of the world renowned Galapagos Islands and the Amazon basin.

USAID has supported the economic and social development of Ecuador since 1942. On November 20, 2002, the Mission accomplished 60 years of technical and economic cooperation in Ecuador. USAID and its predecessor agencies (Point Four, Inter-American Services, Alliance for Progress) have had the rewarding opportunity to provide important economic support for the strategies and projects that Ecuador, through public and private entities, has been implementing to reach its development goals.

With over twenty-two years of experience at USAID, Ms. Panehal began her career in the Office of Regional Housing and Urban Development with several overseas assignments including Thailand, Honduras, and Tunisia. She served in the Office of Housing and Urban Programs in USAID/Washington before becoming the Deputy Chief of the Environment and Natural Resources division. In 1995, she returned overseas as the Director of the Democracy Office in the USAID/Nicaragua Mission. She attended the National War College in 1999, and was subsequently selected as the Deputy Mission Director for the Regional Mission for Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus. Most recently, she has been serving in USAID/Washington as the Director of the Urban Programs Team.

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Ms. Panehal received her B.S. from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and obtained her first Masters from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. In 2000, Panehal received her second master's degree in National Security Strategy, from the National Defense University. She is married to Thomas Fletcher and has two daughters, Kristi (13) and Dani (11).

For more information about the U.S. Agency for International Development, visit our Web site at www.usaid.gov.




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