A Career in Democracy Building: Strengthening Governance and Economic Opportunity in Indonesia

The U.S. public and private sector international development umbrella encompasses many types of initiatives. Strong governance and democracy advocacy are among the most critical and difficult focuses of U.S. development efforts.

This Careers in Development session will feature Mr. Gordon West, who will discuss his experiences supporting development in Asia through democracy and governance-strengthening measures. His experience includes field work supporting democratic reforms in Indonesia, and promoting economic growth, good governance and reliable infrastructure in a number of Southeast Asian countries. He will speak to these experiences as well as on the interplay between governance, democracy, and economic opportunity and how all or one of these factors affects development. Mr. West will also discuss the role of young people in the field of development today.

Mr. West currently serves Vice President for RTI’s International Development Group (IDG). His career has spanned more than 35 years working in international development. Mr. West joined RTI as chief of party for a democracy reform support project in Indonesia. He previously served as the deputy assistant administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development. At USAID, Mr. West served as mission director in Bangladesh and Cambodia, project manager in the Philippines, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Egypt, and director of economic restructuring for Eastern Europe.

Please join us for this roundtable discussion with Gordon West.

A light breakfast will be available.