Welcome to the Global Development Alliance. I am pleased to join USAID and this office. As the new Senior Coordinator of the GDA -- the global leader in alliance building -- I can attest to the power of partnerships to produce meaningful change and bring to bear innovative strategies that can lead to a world of mutual prosperity. I have seen this first hand in my work at the International Organization for Migration through my work with Chevron, ExxonMobil, Starbucks, Western Union and Dow Chemical.

The world of international development is continually changing. GDA represents the Agency's commitment to respond to change and the opportunities it presents in the way we implement our assistance mandate. Working at the intersection of public donors and private investment unleashes the creativity to harness market forces for humanitarian ends, but only if the partnerships focus on areas and subjects of mutual interest and shared values with full respect for each other's resources, expertise, knowledge, and skills. From my work with refugee populations and migrants, I've seen how instability and a lack of prosperity in many of the countries where we work causes a multitude of problems. The effects of climate change are only exacerbating the insecurity of access to food and conflict of scarce resources. Creative solutions are imperative. The GDA has learned that partnering with commercial enterprises and philanthropic foundations stimulates economic growth, develops businesses and workforces, addresses health and environmental issues, and expands access to education and technology. It is through this leveraging of the private sector that GDA works to achieve the Agency's and the US Government's foreign policy objectives.

Along with my colleagues in Washington and in the field, I look forward to collaborating with new partners from business and philanthropy to jointly tackle problems in countries where USAID works around the world. Quoting Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, "We are committed to pursuing peace and prosperity in every corner, not only in the marble halls of government, but in rural villages, in distant cities, where people are striving to live and work and learn and raise families and grow old with dignity. These are universal dreams, and the United States seeks to make them a reality for more of the world's people."

I am delighted to be leading this team of dedicated alliance builders and hope that you will join us. I encourage you to take time to explore this site fully. It seeks to illustrate how partnerships with private sector actors allow us to focus on areas and subjects of mutual interest and shared values with full respect for each other's resources, expertise, knowledge, and skills.