Margaret Spears is Deputy Assistant Administrator in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), leading efforts to tackle the root causes of migration, integrate migrants into host communities, and facilitate expanded access to lawful migration pathways.
As a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Ms. Spears has held various leadership positions throughout USAID. Prior to assuming her current position in August 2023, she was Deputy Mission Director and Acting Mission Director in Amman, Jordan from 2019-2023. She served as the USAID/Mexico Deputy Mission Director in Mexico City from 2015-2019, leading interagency collaboration on public-private partnerships, justice reform, anti-corruption, and citizen security in strategic areas near the U.S.-Mexico border. From 2010-2015, in USAID’s Bureau for Food Security, which leads the U.S. Government’s interagency efforts in agriculture and nutrition, she oversaw the strategic direction and implementation of programs in the field and built partnerships with the private sector. In Colombia, from 2007-2010, she oversaw the whole-of-government alternative development program that yielded significant gains in controlling ungoverned territories and promoting economic growth and agricultural reconstruction. In Bolivia, from 2002-2007, Ms. Spears oversaw efforts to promote agriculture, access to financial services, and economic opportunities for marginalized indigenous populations.
Before joining USAID in 2002, Ms. Spears worked at the U.S. Department of State on trade policy and programs. She served on U.S. government negotiating teams for international trade agreements, including bilateral accords with Jordan, Colombia, Central America and the Dominican Republic, Chile, and multilateral efforts in the World Trade Organization. Previous positions include work in finance and microenterprise at the World Bank, Catholic Relief Services, and as a Senior Research Analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
Ms. Spears earned a Master’s Degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, concentrating on international business and development. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Boston College, focusing on economics, international development, and languages. She speaks fluent Spanish and basic French and Arabic.