Joel Sandefur is a member of the Senior Foreign Service. Most recently, he was USAID’s Foreign Service Deputy General Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel. Mr. Sandefur previously served three tours in Afghanistan, from 2019–2021, first as Senior Resident Legal Officer (RLO) and then as Deputy Mission Director. He was also the Senior RLO in 2012–2013. His other USAID postings include Ukraine, Georgia, South Africa, Iraq, and Ghana.
Prior to joining USAID, Mr. Sandefur worked for the law firm Jones Day in Los Angeles California. Before law school, he worked for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Haiti, helping to implement a USAID-funded food distribution program.
Mr. Sandefur received a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law and a BA (from La Sierra University in Riverside, California. Mr. Sandefur is a native of Takoma Park, Maryland.