USAID Swears in New Mission Director for Macedonia

Today, Randall L.
Tobias, Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance and the Administrator for the
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), administered the oath of
office to Patricia Rader, as the USAID Mission Director for the Republic of
Macedonia.
   Patricia Rader has had a long and varied career with USAID, which has
taken her to Africa and most recently to Pakistan as Deputy Mission
Director. During this period she also served as the Acting Mission
Director.
   "Patricia has proved her mettle in Pakistan -- a critical, high threat
post -- and helped to establish it as model for integrating long-term
development objectives into countries which are faced with extremely
difficult security and development challenges, and are at the same time
high priorities for foreign assistance and foreign policy," said Ambassador
Tobias.
   Macedonia is a survivor and one of the success stories of the Balkans.
While it entered independence in 1991 as one of the least developed
countries to come out of Yugoslavia, and has faced significant challenges
in its transition to democracy, its progress in that respect has been as
impressive as its commitment to economic growth. Macedonia also had to
weather an economic embargo after independence, a multitude of refugees
from Kosovo in 1999, and its own internal conflict in 2001. The U.S. is
committed to maintaining peace and stability in Macedonia, and was a
signatory to the 2001 Ohrid Framework Agreement, which brought an end to
conflict between ethnic Albanian insurgents and government security forces.
   Macedonia's main challenges are to continue to reduce poverty, revive
the economy and create jobs, and ease inter-ethnic tensions. In December
2005, the European Council granted Macedonia European Union (EU) candidate
status, but did not set a date for the start of accession negotiations. The
U.S. supports Macedonia's entry into the EU and NATO, and towards this end
USAID focuses on economic growth, good governance, and education programs.
   Prior to her assignment in Pakistan, Rader was the Director of the
Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade Bureau Program Office at USAID's
Headquarters in Washington, D.C. She previously served in Tanzania, and has
spent several years in the Africa Bureau, also in Washington.
   Ms. Rader has an MS from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in
Washington, D.C., an MA from the Fletcher School, Tufts University in
Boston, and a BA from the University of Connecticut.