As the USAID/Southern Africa Mission Director, Leslie Marbury is responsible for all USAID programming in Southern Africa, including bilateral programs in South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and eSwatini, as well as programming through the region. The Southern Africa region has some of the highest levels of income inequality and HIV/AIDS prevalence in the world. USAID programs increase trade and strengthen regional economic ties, and address the dual epidemics of HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis, while supporting democratic processes, protecting human rights, and building resilience.
She most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Government’s Prosper Africa initiative. In this role, she coordinated 17 participating U.S. departments and agencies to advance the U.S. Government’s efforts to substantially increase two-way trade and investment between the United States and African countries. Previously, Ms. Marbury served as the Mission Director for USAID in Rwanda and Burundi, where she oversaw programs in economic growth, health, democracy, education, and humanitarian assistance, worked with partners to accelerate Rwanda’s transition to a middle-income country, and led the response to COVID-19. Her previous posts include Honduras, Bolivia, South Africa, and Burma.
Throughout her time with the U.S. Government, she has worked with the private sector, civil society, and governments to improve economic governance, private sector investment, trade, the financial sector, environmental policy, agricultural development, and food security. Leslie is a career member of the USAID Senior Foreign Service. She gained her formative experience as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Ghana and received her master’s degree in Environmental Economics and Policy from the University of Georgia.