Weisenfeld Joins RTI International as Vice President of Global Programs

WASHINGTON, DC. – Paul Weisenfeld, head of the Bureau for Food Security at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has announced plans to join RTI International as vice president of Global Programs in November.
 
Weisenfeld, whose career as a foreign service officer spans more than 20 years, has served in a wide variety of senior positions, including tours as mission director in Zimbabwe and Peru. During his distinguished career, he achieved the rank of career minister, the highest level position in the Senior Foreign Service.

Since early 2011, Weisenfeld has led for USAID one of America's signature international development initiatives, Feed the Future, which aims to reduce food insecurity through innovative, evidence-based strategies and state-of-the-art monitoring and evaluation programs.
 
Weisenfeld also has worked to strengthen collaborative research efforts between USAID and leading universities, and built long-term partnerships with private-sector companies to encourage innovation, increase financing and improve market access in developing nations.

"We are very pleased Paul is joining our team at RTI International," said Wayne Holden, RTI president and CEO. "His work and experience on the leading edge of international development programs and innovations make him a welcome addition to our mission-focused staff members. Equally important, he shares our commitment to applying evidence-based programs and delivering measurable results."

"Paul's global knowledge, experience, and deep commitment to international development have helped position USAID as the world's premier development agency," said Aaron Williams, executive vice president of international development. "I am delighted to welcome my long-time colleague to our team at RTI."  

In addition to serving in leadership positions for the Bureau for Food Security and the Peru and Zimbabwe programs, Weisenfeld's roles at USAID have included deputy assistant administrator for the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean and coordinator for the Haiti Task Team, during which he led post-earthquake recovery efforts. He was also a regional legal advisor for USAID's Egypt and South Africa programs.

Weisenfeld holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a bachelor's degree from Queens College, City University of New York.