Dr. Diana Putman retired as a senior foreign service officer at the end of 2022 after four decades working in international development. In her last position at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) she served as the Acting Assistant Administrator of the Africa Bureau in charge of programming over $8 billion of assistance across sub-Saharan Africa. Most of her life and career have been in highly challenging environments where she has led successful development efforts. In Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Dr. Putman has focused on economic growth, trade and investment, climate change and environment, health, gender, and on democracy, governance and human rights as cornerstones of peace, security and prosperity.

Dr. Putman was the USAID Mission Director for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its regional platform (5 years) and was the Mission Director in Timor-Leste (3 years).  She provided senior program leadership on development as Chief of Humanitarian and Health Activities and Acting Senior Development Advisor for the United States Africa Command (on detail from USAID). Other assignments include Indonesia, Tunisia, Jordan, Tanzania, and Kenya (regional programs). Her doctoral research was done in Mali, Rwanda and Somalia and post-doctoral research in Japan.

Dr. Putman holds three degrees in Anthropology (A.B., Ma., Ph.D.) from Bryn Mawr College and a Masters in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College. She has received numerous awards from the federal government and from professional associations, including the USAID Administrator’s Career Service Award, the Department of State award for Heroism, the Department of Defense Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award, and the American Foreign Service Association Rivkin Award for Constructive Dissent. Dr. Putman is fluent in French with revivable Indonesian and Swahili.