Maureen Harrington

Vice President for Policy and International Relations

Maureen Harrington, Vice President for Policy and International Relations, at the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), is responsible for managing the annual eligible and Threshold country selection process, executing the Threshold Program, ensuring effective donor coordination on the general MCC approach, and monitoring trends in development policy and practice.  She also oversees the economic analysis and the rigorous independent evaluations of MCC programs.  In addition, her department develops strategies to increase private sector trade, investment, and corporate social responsibility partnerships in MCC eligible countries.

 

Prior to serving in this role, Ms. Harrington was responsible for overseeing MCC’s efforts in Anglophone and Lusophone Africa and was also the Senior Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer at MCC.  

 

Ms. Harrington previously served as Special Assistant with the Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Ms. Harrington was responsible for a number private sector development projects for the Africa Bureau, including participation in the work of a congressionally mandated policy advisory panel preparing recommendations on how the U.S. Government can help strengthen the African capital markets.

 

Prior to joining the State Department, Ms. Harrington served as Senior Associate at JE Austin Associates, an emerging markets economic development consulting firm in Washington, D.C., directing the competitiveness practice.

 

Earlier, Ms. Harrington led the Massachusetts Trade Office, the organization responsible for promoting international trade initiatives in Massachusetts. Responsible for international protocol and marketing, Ms. Harrington managed programs to encourage increased exports from Massachusetts and to attract foreign direct investment to the state. She also contributed to the development of a new economic development strategy for Massachusetts.

 

Ms. Harrington held a variety of positions over eight years with the International Republican Institute (IRI), a non- profit organization that supports democracy initiatives worldwide. As project director in South Africa, Ms. Harrington served as the senior official for IRI’s USAID funded political party, municipal governance and economic development training program. Ms. Harrington managed, developed or participated in democracy assistance programs or election observation efforts in South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Cambodia, Yemen, and Romania.

 

Following graduation from DePauw University, Ms. Harrington served as a staff member for Congressman Wally Herger. A graduate of Harvard Business School in 2001, Ms. Harrington resides in Washington, D.C.