Willamette Institute for Continued Learning - (USAID): What it has Been, Done and Now Is. 4-14-26

"This presentation will address the history of USAID and its current status as a 'suspended"" agency under the US State Department. USAID was founded in 1961 during the Kennedy administration to succeed the work of the International Cooperation Association. In the intervening 64 years that agency provided an annual average of $10 billion in US aid to over 100 countries worldwide, $23 billion annual average over the past six years. Through its health initiatives it is estimated that as many as 90 million lives were saved by USAID interventions and services. You will gain insight into the advent, growth, operation and successes of the agency over its life. We are privileged to learn first hand from our very own, Brad Barker. Brad Barker is an international health policy and health systems implementation expert with over three decades experience working on USAID funded activities. In Africa Brad provided technical assistance and administered funding to address: a) HIV/AIDS, b) child survival, c) reproductive health/family planning, and d) sustainability and health care financing. Over its life USAID has provided technical and financial assistance in the areas of disaster and humanitarian relief from war and natural disasters, global health through disease prevention and medical education, economic development, democracy and governance, and education and social services. He joined WICL in 2025.