Michelle Jennings

Director of the Office of Economic Growth and Agriculture Development in Haiti, USAID

Michelle A. Jennings is a USAID Foreign Service Officer with over 24 years experience in international development and humanitarian assistance, working on a range of environment, climate, agriculture, and economic growth development programs.  She served in posts in Ethiopia (04 – 09), El Salvador (09 – 13), Washington D.C. (13 – 18), Peru (18 – 22), and Haiti (2023-2025).

Ms. Jennings is currently the Director of the Office of Economic Growth and Agriculture Development in Haiti, where she leads a team of 16 people in the implementation of economic stabilization, agriculture, climate, and water security programming across Haiti. Previously she led both a bilateral and regional biodiversity program in Peru and across the Amazon Basin in South America and in Central America.  Michelle has led diverse teams across multiple country programs, working with host governments, private sector, and civil society organizations.

Prior to USAID, Michelle worked on humanitarian assistance and disaster preparedness in the US and internationally in support of the U.S. Department of Defense, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the World Bank.

Ms. Jennings has a M.S. in National Security Resource Strategy from the National Defense University (2016), an M.S. in Emergency Health Services from the University of Baltimore, MD (1998) and a B.S. in Education from the University of California, Dominguez Hills (1991). Michelle was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador (94-96) and is a native of Southern California. She speaks Spanish and French and her biggest job is keeping up with six children.