As the Chief Operating Officer for FHI360, Deborah Kennedy’s leadership helps to ensure that FHI 360 delivers measurable, cost-effective results. Her management of internal operations brings the organization closer to meeting its goal of providing holistic, country-centered solutions to meet complex development challenges.
Kennedy’s extensive career in international development spans more than three decades. Prior to joining FHI 360, she worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). As mission director for USAID/Peru and the South America program, she oversaw bilateral and regional programs in education, governance, climate change and biodiversity conservation. Under her leadership, these programs significantly expanded their public–private partnerships and successfully engaged civil society to inspire governments and communities to take action.
During her tenure at USAID, Kennedy held leadership positions in two Regional Bureaus (Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia and the Near East). She served as Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Human Resources, where she led USAID Forward’s talent management component and oversaw the rebuilding of USAID’s Foreign Service Corps. In 2005, she was the Chief Operating Officer for the USAID Tsunami Relief and Reconstruction Task Force, which led this highly successful humanitarian relief and reconstruction effort.