Kerry Pelzman, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, was sworn in as Mission Director to USAID/Cambodia in March 2023. She has 35 years of experience in public health and development, two-thirds with USAID. Most recently, she served in USAID/Washington as Acting Assistant Administrator and Deputy Assistant Administrator for USAID’s Bureau for Global Health, as well as Director for the Office for Strategic and Program Planning in the Agency’s Bureau for Policy, Planning, and Learning.
In six USAID missions, Ms. Pelzman led teams covering health, education, and capacity development, including in South Africa, Afghanistan, India, Iraq, the Regional Mission for Central Asia, and Russia. Prior to joining USAID in 1998, she was an international health consultant; implemented a family planning program in Togo; managed public health education programs for the New York City Department of Health; and served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Mauritania.
Ms. Pelzman received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health.