Denise Rollins

Denise Rollins has served as USAID’s Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for Asia since July 2011. USAID’s Asia portfolio stretches from the Central Asian Republics through the population-dense countries of South Asia to the diverse political economies of East Asia and the Pacific Islands. The Bureau manages a complex portfolio of development programs of more than $1.2 billion in FY 2011 and supports 12 bilateral field missions with programs in 22 countries. Ms. Rollins is responsible for overseeing USAID’s programs in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan) and South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the Maldives).

A member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, Ms. Rollins has more than 25 years of international experience. Prior to her appointment to the Asia Bureau, Ms. Rollins was named in 2007 as USAID’s Mission Director in Bangladesh, where she provided executive leadership for four years to USAID’s largest development program in South Asia, implementing a $200 million assistance program in one of the United States’ most important partners in Asia. The Bangladesh program included programs in support of the President’s four initiatives—Global Health, Food Security, Global Climate Change, and Global Engagement—designed to improve maternal and child health, combat malnutrition, increase economic growth, foster democratic governance, tackle corruption, and respond to disasters and provide humanitarian assistance. 

Before her appointment in Bangladesh, Ms. Rollins served as USAID’s Deputy Mission Director in South Africa, where she oversaw development programs addressing health, education, local government service delivery, and private sector development, including USAID’s largest HIV/AIDS program in the world, funded under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. She has also served in Ghana, Uganda, and Nigeria, three of USAID’s largest development programs in Africa, as well as in Jamaica.  

Prior to joining USAID, Ms. Rollins was the Senior Program Officer at the African-American Institute, Procurement Agent for Stronghold (Nigeria) Limited, a Nigerian trading company based in London, and Legislative Assistant for two members of the U.S. Congress. 

Ms. Rollins earned a Master of International Public Policy degree at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, majoring in international economics and finance, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics at Howard University. She is a native of Detroit, Michigan.