Ann Vaughan is the Deputy Assistant Administrator for USAID's Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security (REFS) where she advances Feed the Future global hunger initiative objectives and oversees the REFS Center for Agriculture-led Growth; the Feed the Future Office of Policy, Analysis, and Engagement; and the Bureau’s Secretariat supporting the Board for International Food and Agriculture Development (BIFAD).
Ann joined USAID 2021 as the Senior Advisor for Climate Change in REFS's Front Office, and the USAID Director of the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE). She has worked across bureaus, offices, and the interagency to elevate the strong technical leadership and the work of USAID and REFS, including: ensuring USAID's central role in the U.S.-UAE Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C) partnership on climate smart agricultural innovation and research; elevating the critical issue of food loss and waste; advancing climate adaptation and food and water security priorities at the last two climate summits; and, helping develop and co-lead PREPARE, a whole-of-government effort to help more than half a billion people in developing countries adapt to, and manage, the impacts of climate change.
Ann's roots are in food and nutrition security and she has worked in rural Nicaragua as a Peace Corps Volunteer, served on House Foreign Operations (SFOPS) Chairwoman Nita Lowey’s staff, and led advocacy work at Mercy Corps for the early funding of Feed the Future and its authorization in the Global Food Security Act. She is a long-time champion of food and nutrition security and resilience building, with a strong focus on the most marginalized communities. Ann also previously worked for USAID in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and for other non-governmental organizations advocating for conflict resolution. She holds a master's degree from George Washington University in International Development Studies and a bachelor's degree from the College of William and Mary.