Delivering Effective Foreign Assistance in a World filled with Conflict – A Conversation with Alice Albright and Representative Adam Smith

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With many regions of the world filled with conflict and instability, it is crucial to ensure that aid reaches countries in need effectively. Foreign aid plays a vital role in U.S. foreign policy and has shown to be instrumental in alleviating global poverty and promoting global development.

Join us for a discussion with Alice Albright, CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and Rep. Adam Smith as we explore ways for the United States to enhance the delivery of foreign assistance.

About our speakers:

Alice P. Albright is the Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation where she provides strategic leadership and vision to the agency helping deliver on programmatic priorities. Ms. Albright has more than 30 years of international experience in the private, non-profit and public sectors.

Prior to MCC, Ms. Albright served as the CEO of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). As a political appointee of the Obama Administration, between 2009 and 2013, she was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank). Beforehand, she was the Chief Financial and Investment Officer for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI). Prior to working in international development and government, Ms. Albright was a banker focusing on emerging markets, working principally at J.P. Morgan.

Ms. Albright has served on two G7 Gender Equality Advisory Councils, appointed first by the President of France for the 2019 G7 and subsequently by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for the 2021 G7. Additionally, she has served on the Boards of Williams College and Mercersburg Academy.

Ms. Albright received her MIA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and her BA from Williams College. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Congressman Adam Smith represents the Ninth District of Washington State, serving parts of King County including South Seattle, Renton, and Federal Way. Congressman Smith has served in Congress since 1996. His top priorities include creating equal economic opportunity by expanding access to high-quality education and job-training opportunities, and building stronger communities by promoting affordable housing, quality and affordable health care, including mental and behavioral health care, and gun violence prevention. As a senior member of Democratic Leadership in the House, Congressman Smith serves as the Democratic leader of the House Armed Services Committee, where he is a champion for our military members and their families and a long-time advocate of strengthening American diplomacy and development.

Moderator

Jacqueline Miller has led the World Affairs Council of Seattle since May 2014. She held senior positions in policy organizations and non-profits on the east coast before moving to the Pacific Northwest. In Seattle, she also serves on the Mayor’s International Affairs Advisory Board; is a member of the Civic Council for UW’s Master of Arts in Applied International Studies (MAAIS) program; and serves on the Washington State Advisory Committee for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. She is a board member of the World Affairs Councils of America; a current board member and past chair of the board of Global Ties U.S, and is a member of the Board of Advisors of the George H.W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations. She is also a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Prior to joining the World Affairs Council, Jacqueline served as Director of External Relations at Independent Diplomat in New York, working with marginalized democratic political actors to help them navigate the United Nations, the EU, and other international diplomatic fora. Previously, she was a Senior Associate at the EastWest Institute (EWI) in New York, where she created and led the U.S. program. At EWI, she focused on national security policy, the U.S.-Russia and U.S.-China relationships, as well as nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation issues. She was deputy director of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Washington (DC) programs, where she oversaw CFR’s robust DC meetings program as well as outreach on Capitol Hill and the DC diplomatic community. She got her start in think tanks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where she was deputy director of the Russia and Eurasia program. She has also taught at The George Washington University, where she undertook graduate work after earning undergraduate and graduate degrees from Cornell University.

About MCC

Created by the U.S. Congress in January 2004 with strong bipartisan support, MCC partners with the world’s poorest countries that are committed to just and democratic governance, economic freedom and investing in their populations.

Investing in well-governed countries is the most effective use of development dollars and incentivizes reform even before a country is selected to partner with MCC. MCC provides time-limited grants promoting economic growth, reducing poverty, and strengthening institutions. These investments in core infrastructure and policy and institutional reforms are key interventions that are improving the lives of nearly 270 million people across 46 countries and five continents. MCC investments support stability and prosperity in partner countries all while furthering American interests. With cost-effective and transparent projects, a lean staff, and an evidence-based approach, MCC ensures American tax-payer dollars are well spent and go to countries that share our values.