Paloma Adams-Allen is a Jamaican-American foreign policy advisor who has served as the deputy administrator of the

United States Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 b ...

(USAID) for management and resources in the

Biden administration Joe Biden's tenure as the 46th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2021. Biden, a Democrat from Delaware who previously served as vice president under Barack Obama, took office following his victory ...

since October 2021.

Early life and education

Adams-Allen was born and raised in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in development studies from Brown University, a Master of International Affairs from

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

, and a Juris Doctor from the

Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...

Career

From 1998 to 2000, Adams-Allen was the director of the Caribbean and Central America Action's financial services program. She was then a summer law associate at

Coudert Brothers Coudert Brothers LLP was a New York City, New York-based law firm with a strong international outlook that practiced from 1853 until its dissolution in 2006. History The firm was established in 1853 in New York by three sons of Charles Coudert Sr ...

. In 2000, she joined the Organization of American States, serving as a senior advisor and regional manager. In 2010, she joined the

, serving as a senior advisor for Latin America and the Caribbean and later associate deputy administrator for the same region. From 2016 to 2017, she was the senior director of private sector partnerships at

Winrock International Winrock International is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase economic opportunity, sustain natural resources, and protect the environment. Based in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Washington, D.C., Winrock is named for Winthrop Rock ...

. In April 2017, she became the president of the

Inter-American Foundation The Inter-American Foundation, or IAF, is an independent agency of the United States government that funds community-led development in Latin America and the Caribbean. It was created through the Foreign Assistance Act of 1969Joe Biden nominated Adams-Allen to be the deputy administrator of USAID. The

Senate Foreign Relations Committee The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for overseeing and funding foreign aid p ...

held hearings on Adams-Allen's nomination on July 20, 2021. The committee favorably reported her nomination to the Senate floor on August 4, 2021. Adams-Allen was confirmed by the entire Senate on October 5, 2021, by a vote of 79-20. Adams-Allen assumed office on October 12, 2021.

Personal life

Adams-Allen lives in Washington D.C with her husband and two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams-Allen, Paloma 21st-century Jamaican women politicians 21st-century Jamaican politicians Brown University alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni Georgetown University Law Center alumni Organization of American States people People of the United States Agency for International Development Trump administration personnel Biden administration personnel Living people Year of birth missing (living people)