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Rajiv Shah

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Rajiv Shah
Personal details
Bornthumb
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Detroit, Michigan
Diedthumb
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Current Administrator of USAID Rajiv Shah]]
Resting placethumb
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Current Administrator of USAID Rajiv Shah]]
Parent
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  • Current Administrator of USAID Rajiv Shah]]
ResidencesWashington, D.C.
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
London School of Economics
INSEAD
University of Pennsylvania
ProfessionAdministrator
WebsiteDr. Rajiv Shah

Rajiv “Raj” Shah (born March 9, 1973) is the Administrator of USAID under the Obama administration. On November 10, 2009, Shah was nominated as Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).[1] He was confirmed by the Senate on December 24, making him the highest-ranking Indian American in any presidential administration.[2] In this capacity, he is the point man in the United States' efforts to provide relief to the earthquake victims in Haiti.

Prior to his appointment at USAID, Shah worked in a range of leadership roles at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation including Director of Agricultural Development, Director of Financial Services, leader of the Strategic Opportunities initiative and manager of the Foundation’s $1.5 billion commitment to the Vaccine Fund. He also came up with the idea for the International Finance Facility for Immunization to transform the global system of vaccine financing, and worked to secure donor commitments of more than $5 billion for this facility. Before joining the Gates Foundation, Shah was a health care policy advisor on the Al Gore presidential campaign, 2000 and a member of Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell's transition committee on health.

President Obama announced Shah’s selection as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics and Chief Scientist on April 17, 2009.[3][4] Shah’s nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate by unanimous consent on May 12, 2009.

Early life and family

Born to immigrant parents from India who settled in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the late 1960s, Raj Shah grew up in the Detroit area and attended Wylie Groves High School.

Shah earned his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and M.Sc. in Health Economics at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and also attended the London School of Economics[5].

Shah was born to a Hindu father and a Hindu mother. He lives with his wife and their two young children, Sajan and Amna. Raj's wife, Shivam Mallick Shah, works at the Department of Education's Office of Innovation as the Director of Special Initiatives. Raj has one sister, Ami Shah, who is a medical doctor.

Career

Raj Shah was the Under Secretary of Research, Education and Economics (REE) and Chief Scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There he manages the Agricultural Research Service (including the National Agricultural Library), the Economic Research Service, the National Agricultural Statistical Service and the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service. Shah is responsible for managing more than 10,000 staff worldwide, including 2200 federal scientists and a budget of more than $2.6 billion. He also leads the agency’s participation in the Obama administration’s Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative.

In his tenure at USDA, Shah launched the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a new scientific institute created to elevate and enhance the capacity of agricultural research to address sustainable food production around the world, climate change, bioenergy and human nutrition. Prior to his appointment at USDA, Raj worked in a range of leadership roles at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help the poorest people on earth lead healthy and productive lives.

As the Director of the Agricultural Development program, Shah oversaw the foundation’s multi-billion dollar portfolio of grant and program-related investments to help transform rural economies throughout the developing world and help small farmers and their families overcome hunger and poverty. He led efforts to create the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, helped recruit its leadership including UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, and serves on its Board of Directors. He oversaw grant portfolios in science and technology; farmer productivity; market access; and policy, statistics and advocacy; and managed a team of more than 60 professionals. He also developed innovative partnerships with private industry, the United Nations, the World Bank, and country governments around the world, where he was an active voice on issues related to food and hunger.

As the Foundation’s first Director for the Financial Services to the Poor portfolio, Shah worked with a broad range of financial institutions and other donors to determine how Foundation resources could best amplify the field’s collective impact. Previously, he led the Strategic Opportunities initiative, which worked with Foundation co-chairs to identify, assess and recommend new areas of giving. This process led to the creation of the Foundation’s Global Development Program.

Shah’s early work with the Foundation focused on global health. As Deputy Director for Policy and Finance, Raj managed the Foundation’s $1.5 billion commitment to the Vaccine Fund – an effort referred to by Bill and Melinda Gates as their best investment. He also came up with the idea for the International Finance Facility for Immunization to transform the global system of vaccine financing and worked to secure donor commitments of more than $5 billion for this facility. The World Health Organization estimates this initiative will save more than five million children's lives through the next decade, and a New York Times article described the effort as “a clever way to reduce the burden of costly diseases now and save money in the future.”

Shah previously worked as a health care policy advisor on the Gore 2000 presidential campaign, was an active supporter of the Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008, and served as a member of Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell’s health transition committee. He also co-founded Health Systems Analytics (a health care consulting firm), served as an advisor to the City of Philadelphia’s Public Health Commissioner, and worked at the World Health Organization. Early in his career, Raj worked on a health and development project in rural South India.

Community Service

Raj Shah was actively engaged in the Seattle community as a trustee of the 54,000-student Seattle Community College District, and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Seattle Public Library.

In addition, Raj co-founded multiple nonprofit organizations focused on increasing the political awareness and civic engagement of minority communities, including Project Impact for South Asian Americans. Project Impact was a pioneering organization whose mission was to inspire and sustain leadership and activism among young Americans. The nonprofit organization held chapters in Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Washington D.C. and elsewhere and its 200+ volunteer members pursued projects such as high-school mentoring, leadership training, community building, town halls, and legal aid projects. In addition, the organization hosted the annual Creating a Voice Awards to honor Americans of South Asian heritage who had made outstanding contributions to the fabric of American life.

References

  1. ^ "President Obama Announces USAID Administrator" (Press release). The White House. 2009-11-10. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  2. ^ "Senators welcome Shah's nomination as USAID Administrator". Hindustan Times. Press Trust Of India. 2009-11-11. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  3. ^ "PRESIDENT OBAMA, SECRETARY VILSACK ANNOUNCE INTENT TO NOMINATE RAJIV SHAH AS UNDER SECRETARY OF RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND ECONOMICS AND CHIEF SCIENTIST AT USDA" (Press release). U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  4. ^ "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts" (Press release). The White House. 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  5. ^ http://www.ur.umich.edu/update/archives/100115/haitiecon U-M alumnus to lead U.S. rescue project
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