US embassy welcomes Leslie Reed as new USAID mission director

AMMAN — The US embassy in Amman on Sunday welcomed Leslie Reed as the new US Agency for International Development (USAID) mission director for Jordan. 

As mission director, Reed will oversee a portfolio of more than 50 projects and an approximate annual budget of $1.4 billion in assistance provided to the people and government of Jordan through the US-Jordanian Memorandum of Understanding for economic development, a statement from the US embassy said. 

Reed most recently served as the USAID-Egypt Mission Director from August 2020 to July 2023. During her tenure in Cairo, she led USAID’s efforts to support the Egyptian government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, integrate climate change mitigation into all programming and initiated a public-private partnership to conserve the Red Sea Coral Reef at COP27. 

Prior to her work in Egypt, Reed led USAID missions in Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia. She joined USAID in 1999 and also has worked in Peru, Ghana, South Africa and Washington, DC. 

“I am honoured to join the USAID team in the US embassy in Amman and to contribute to the strong US-Jordanian partnership,” Reed said. 

“I look forward to working closely with the Government of Jordan, local communities and our dedicated team to build on their remarkable achievements to date and to continue making a lasting impact on the lives of people across the Kingdom,” she added.

Reed received a doctor of law (J.D.) from the University of California–Los Angeles School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in communications and political science from the University of California–San Diego. She also studied political science at the American University in Cairo.