Challenges and Changes at USAID: A Conversation with Dr. Bill Steiger

In this episode Dan is joined by Dr. Bill Steiger, former Chief of Staff at USAID. Previously, Dr. Steiger was successively Managing Director and Chief Program Officer at Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon and worked as a Senior Advisor at the Global Fund. He was also Special Assistant for International Affairs to the Secretary of Health and Human Services in the George W. Bush Administration. Dan and Dr. Steiger begin their conversation by discussing how Dr. Steiger began his long-term career in public service. The two then go on to discuss some of the challenges that Dr. Steiger observed during his time as Chief of Staff at USAID and the ways in which these challenges influenced the agency’s relationships within different government branches. Afterward, they speak about some of ongoing successes and “wins” that Dr. Steiger witnessed at the agency, including an entire structural change. Dr. Steiger goes on to specifically highlight a shift in culture at the agency and outlines the immense progress it has made with respect to its risk appetite statement, its acquisition and assistance strategy, and its digital strategy. Dan and Dr. Steiger then consider the lasting implications that the Covid-19 pandemic will have on global development initiatives and discuss new humanitarian assistance patterns the world might begin to see. Finally, they talk through the impacts and the potential outcomes of the upcoming World Health Organization (WHO) election in 2022. Please visit our website to view the statistics Dr. Steiger has provided.