Key People - biodata

Richard Goughnour - Mission Director

Mr. Goughnour has over 28 years of experience with the Agency. He began his USAID career in 1978 as a Financial Management Officer in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, and later served as the Controller for USAID/Ecuador (1987-1992) and as the Regional Controller for USAID/Bolivia (1992-1997). He subsequently served as USAID Deputy Mission Director in both Ukraine (1997-2000) and El Salvador (2000-2002). Prior to his assignment to the Dominican Republic, Mr. Goughnour served as the USAID Mission Director to Brazil (2002-2006), where he was responsible for the full range of administrative and program management activities related to the USAID/Brazil development program. There, he oversaw an assistance program that contributes to the protection of Brazil's unique biodiversity, the promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency, HIV/AIDS prevention and tuberculosis control and treatment, employability skills for disadvantaged youth, and the promotion of free trade.

Mr. Goughnour holds the rank of Minister Counselor in the Foreign Service of the United States and is the recipient of several awards. He graduated from the American University/USAID Development Studies Program with highest honors.

Born in Duluth, Minnesota in 1951, Mr. Goughnour graduated from the University of Minnesota where he majored in accounting and business administration. From 1974 to 1976, he served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer and Volunteer Leader in northeast Brazil, working with the Ministry of Agriculture as a financial management consultant assisting a network of cotton cooperatives. He is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish, and has a working knowledge of Russian.

William Brands

William Brands, USAID/Dominican Republic’s Deputy Director, arrived at post in 2005.  A graduate of Knox College with a BA in International Relations, Mr. Brands was the Supervisory General Development Officer at the USAID/W LAC Bureau from 2002 to 2005.  Prior to this, he served overseas as the Supervisory General Development Officer at USAID/South Africa (from 1999 to 2002), as the General Development Officer at USAID/Uganda (from 1995 to 1999) and as the Project Development Officer at USAID/Malawi (from 1990 to 1995).  A former ACDI/VOCA Program Director for Africa/Middle East (from 1980 to 1990), Brands holds an MA degree in International Law from Tulane University.

Kenneth Barberi

Kenneth Barberi has served as USAID/Dominican Republic’s Regional Contracting Officer since March of 2006.  He was the Contracts Officer for USAID/Afghanistan from 2004 to 2006 and for USAID/Ethiopia from 2002 to 2004.  Mr. Barberi received his BA degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1976 and his Master’s Degree in Business from American University in 1985.

Jeffery P. Cohen

Jeffery P. Cohen, USAID/Dominican Republic’s Program Officer, arrived at post in March of 2006.  A graduate of Michigan State University with a BA in Political Economy, Mr. Cohen served in two staff positions with Peace Corps Honduras, first as the Associate Peace Corps Director for the Municipal Development Project (from 2000 to 2002) and subsequently as the Deputy Peace Corps Director (from 2002 to 2005).  Before his tenure as Peace Corps Staff, Mr. Cohen served as a Municipal Development Peace Corps Volunteer in Bolivia, from 1997 to 1999.

Andrew Herscowitz

Andrew Herscowitz has served as USAID’s Regional Legal Advisor for the Caribbean since October of 2003.  A graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Mr. Herscowitz was the recipient of the 2005 Federal Bar Organization’s Young Federal Lawyers Award.  Prior to joining USAID, Mr. Herscowitz worked at the law firms Piper & Marbury and Brobeck, Phleger and Harrison.  Before attending law school, he served as the CEPAD Coordinator of Tidal Wave Relief in Masachapa, Nicaragua.

Stephen Brager

Before joining USAID/Santo Domingo in August 2006 as General Development Officer, Mr. Brager served four years in Lima, Peru as the Deputy Chief of the Office of Democratic Initiatives. In the middle of his first tour, he volunteered to go to Baghdad for four months to help strengthen the democracy programs. Mr. Brager joined the Agency in 2001 and worked in a variety of offices in Washington, including the Central Asia Task Force (to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and develop a program there) before leaving for Peru. Mr. Brager has a Masters in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego, and received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University.

Michael Donald

Michael Donald is the LAC Bureau’s Regional Environmental Advisor for the Caribbean Region, based in Santo Domingo.  Mr. Donald was the Regional Environmental Advisor for Central America and Mexico, based in Guatemala, from 2002 to 2005.  He worked in Honduras for two years as the USDA upper watershed advisor for Hurricane Mitch reconstruction efforts.  Prior to this, he worked with the U.S. Forest Service in Montana and Washington State.  A graduate from the University of California at Davis with a B.S. degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology, Mr. Donald served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras from 1986 to 1988.

Duty Greene

Dr. Duty Greene has served as USAID/Dominican Republic’s Economic Policy Advisor since February of 2006. With a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics, Dr. Greene was also the Economic Policy Advisor for USAID/Honduras (1997-2006) and USAID/Ecuador (1987-1993), as well as for IDB-UNDP in Nicaragua from 1993 to 1997.  After receiving his BA degree in Political Science from Brown University in 1966, Dr. Greene served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Chile until 1969.

David J. Losk

Dr. David J. Losk has served as USAID/Dominican Republic’s Health and Population Officer since October of 2000.  He was also the Health and Population Officer for USAID/Ethiopia, from 1998 to 2000, and for USAID/Honduras, from 1992 to 1998.  In addition to that, Dr. Losk, a Doctor in Education, has served as the Education and Training Officer at USAID/Costa Rica (1988-1992) and at USAID/Washington (1987-1988), as well as the Education Officer for USAID/Guatemala, from 1986 to 1987.

Daniel Smolka

Daniel Smolka, USAID/Dominican Republic’s Executive Officer, arrived at post in July of 2003.  Prior to this assignment, Mr. Smolka was the M/OMS Division Chief at USAID/Washington from 2002 to 2003.  He served overseas as Executive Officer for USAID/Nepal from 1999 to 2002 and for USAID/Honduras from 1995 to 1999.  Mr. Smolka also worked with the US Peace Corps as Associate Director in Nairobi, Kenya and as Manager of the Peace Corps Recruiting Office in Chicago, Illinois.  He holds a BA degree from Blackburn College and was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kumawu, Ghana.

David Noble

Before being assigned to USAID/Dominican Republic as its Controller in June of 2005, David Noble served as the Deputy CFO for Overseas Operations from July 2003 to July 2005.  He also served as the Financial Systems Program Manager (Phoenix) in Washington, from July 2003 to June 2003.  A former Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia, Mr. Noble served overseas from 1987 to 2001, as the Regional Controller in USAID/Georgia and USAID/Botswana, and as the Deputy Controller in USAID/Pakistan and USAID/Honduras.