New USAID Mission Director for Bulgaria Sworn In
On July 26, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the swearing in of Michael Fritz as its new Mission Director for Bulgaria. Administrator Andrew S. Natsios presided at the event and administered the oath to Mr. Fritz.
As Mission Director for USAID/Bulgaria, Fritz will oversee a program totaling approximately $27 million annually. The program will focus on rule of law and democratic governance, specifically judicial sector reform, anti-corruption, and anti-trafficking; economic growth and job creation; and cross cutting initiatives that include training and expertise for Bulgaria’s human capital, advocacy and public awareness through media, healthcare financing, and waste water training programs.
Most recently, Fritz served as Acting Mission Director for the Central Asian Regional Mission. His responsibilities included design and management of a $500 million assistance program in the five former Soviet Central Asian Republics, focusing on a wide range of development issues such as economic growth, particularly small and medium enterprise development; democracy, including NGO development, independent media, conflict mitigation and elections; infectious disease and health reform; education; and regional water, energy and agriculture.
Mr. Fritz joined USAID in 1988 and served in a number of positions in Washington, DC; Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Kiev, Ukraine; Bujumbura, Burundi; and Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire. He was responsible for administrative management for several of the most politically sensitive programs in the USAID portfolio, with program budgets up to $250 million.
Prior to his work with USAID, Fritz worked in the private sector in a variety of management positions supporting defense logistics in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, managing international ocean shipping in the USA, and hospital personnel management in Saudi Arabia.
Fritz is a 1974 graduate of Portland State University with a B.A., with honors, in Psychology and Statistics. In 1980 he received his Masters in International Business from Portland State University.
Link to related story published on July 28, 2005 in the Red Bluff Daily News: http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,134~26762~2985513,00.html
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