Colleen R. Allen is the Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Management, providing leadership and oversight of the organization. Ms. Allen has a distinguished record of extraordinary accomplishment in supporting the mission of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Her record is recognized, not only within the Agency, but throughout the U.S. Government and the private sector. She is a visionary who has transformed global operations into modern models that advance the goals and objectives of USAID’s mission. Ms. Allen has over 20 years of experience in the public sector and is a member of the Senior Executive Service. She is the recipient of the 2022 Distinguished Presidential Rank Award.
Ms. Allen has served in key positions throughout USAID, including as Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of the Administrator; Deputy Director and Director in the Office of Management Policy, Budget and Performance, and most recently as Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Bureau for Management.
Ms. Allen leads over 1,500 management professionals in support of centralized financial, procurement, information technology, logistical, and operational program support services. Additionally, she manages the Agency’s multi-billion dollar operational budget that funds over 8,000 personnel and core business operations worldwide. She makes decisions related to approximately $2 billion in operational resources, the obligation of approximately $21 billion in procurement awards, and financial and operational management of more than $30 billion in apportioned Agency resources. During her tenure, she has continually improved business operations to produce better results, fostered a culture of accountability and respect, and advanced National Security goals and objectives. Notable accomplishments:
- Supported the unprecedented inter-agency relocation of over 80,000 Afghans to the United States of America in a six-month period - serving as USAID’s Senior Official for Operation Allies Welcome; deploying hundreds of personnel; and redirecting millions in financial resources.
- Planned and executed the implementation of the largest and most complex transformation of USAID’s operations, programs, workforce and workspace - impacting over 2,100 staff, 84 policy chapters, 55 corporate systems, and 3,200 contracts.
- Supported U.S. national security goals - preventing the diversion of more than $645 million in federal funds to malign actors posing a threat to national security since 2012 and vetting more than 18,800 USAID contractors and grantees in Fiscal Year 2021.
- Established and led an Agency Critical Coordination Structure to support 24/7 operations in response to COVID-19, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and other crises and Administration priorities - including redirecting personnel and securing hundreds of millions in supplemental funding.
- Advanced and modeled diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) goals and objectives - serving as a founding member of the Agency’s Executive Diversity Council, creating a DEIA council, and delivering the first-ever, comprehensive Agency pay equity analysis and report to lower the pay gap.
Ms. Allen received her Bachelor’s degree in languages and linguistics from Georgetown University and a Master’s degree in public administration from George Mason University.