WASHINGTON – The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition President and CEO, Liz Schrayer, released the following statement on the confirmation of Ambassador Mark Green to be the next Administrator of USAID:

The USGLC applauds Ambassador Mark Green’s timely confirmation by the Senate to lead USAID and congratulates him on this momentous step in his already impressive career. Ambassador Green is an exceptionally qualified public servant and will be an invaluable partner to Secretary Tillerson and Deputy Secretary Sullivan in advancing America’s interests and values abroad.

As a trusted leader with strong relationships on both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill, Ambassador Green will bring his life-long experience and expertise to the current discussion on how to effectively use development as a catalyst for change, improving lives around the world, and delivering results for the American people.  We look forward to continuing to work with him.

Our nation’s diplomacy and development efforts were further strengthened today by the confirmation of several key leaders and ambassadors, including Ray Washburne to lead OPIC and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison – co-chair of USGLC’s Texas Advisory Committee and member of our National Advisory Committee – as U.S. Ambassador to NATO. These men and women are on the front lines of making America safer and more prosperous and we applaud their confirmations.

Background and profile of Ambassador Mark Green

Highlights from the USAID Administrator nominee’s background on global development and diplomacy

Ambassador Mark Green is a recognized conservative leader who has long championed American development and diplomacy programs. A self-proclaimed fiscal hawk and bold supporter of effective foreign assistance, Green was heavily involved in the bipartisan reform efforts of the last decade that have made U.S. foreign assistance more efficient, transparent, and accountable than ever before.

Green understands that an “America First” agenda can – and must – include strategic investments in development and diplomacy. Maintaining that when used effectively, “these programs are strongly in our interest.” He has consistently defended the International Affairs Budget underscoring how these programs are vital not just for “demonstrating our core American values” but also for “achieving our national security and foreign policy goals.”

Green has had a distinguished career in public service and global development, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007 and as Ambassador to Tanzania from 2007 to 2009. In Congress, Green helped draft and pass legislation that created the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which has become a model for effective development assistance, and President George W. Bush’s signature global health initiative, the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR), which has saved the lives of more than 11 million people.

As Ambassador to Tanzania, Green led a mission of 350 civil servants and was responsible for managing and improving the effectiveness of some of the largest development projects ever implemented, including an MCC Compact with Tanzania worth nearly $700 million. Additionally, he oversaw major PEPFAR programs in the country during his tenure.

In 2011, Green was named Senior Director at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. He would later lead the Initiative for Global Development, a non-profit organization that engages business leaders to reduce poverty through investment and economic growth in Africa. Green currently is President of the International Republican Institute and recently served on the Board of Directors at the Millennium Challenge Corporation. He is also a Co-Chair for the Consensus on Development Reform, which supports global development through effective and accountable foreign assistance programs.