WASHINGTON (May 19, 2009) - The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) announces today that James Kunder has joined GMF as a Senior Resident Fellow.  The former Acting Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Devleopment (USAID), Kunder will advise GMF on the modernization of foreign assistance and the nexus between security and development as part of its Economic Policy Program.

"James' experience at USAID and his extensive knowledge on development and security will help GMF position its aid and development work on Afghanistan, Africa,  and other fragile and post-conflict states," said GMF President Craig Kennedy.

Kunder joins GMF after serving as acting deputy administrator of USAID, the U.S. government organization responsible for administering the U.S. foreign assistance programs. He has extensive government and private sector experience in international development. Beginning in July 2004 at USAID, he served as assistant administrator for Asia and the Near East.  Before that, he served as the deputy assistant administrator for Asia and the Near East (July 2002- July 2004) and the director for relief and reconstruction in Afghanistan (Jan.-May 2002).

From 1987 to 1991, Kunder was USAID deputy assistant administrator for external affairs. He then served as director of the Agency's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance from 1991 to 1993, and from 1993 to 1996, he was vice president for program development at Save the Children Federation, an international non-governmental organization dedicated to improving the lives of children in the United States and around the world. In addition, Kunder has served as a legislative director in the U.S. House of Representatives and senior transportation analyst for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an infantry platoon commander in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1970 to 1973. 

Kunder has published numerous articles on international humanitarian issues, peacekeeping, and crisis management, and holds a bachelor's degree from Harvard University and a master's from Georgetown University. 

As a GMF fellow, Kunder testified before the House Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement in April 2009. His testimony is available for download below:

USAID: Management Challenges and Strategic Objectives

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The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is a nonpartisan American public policy and grantmaking institution dedicated to promoting greater cooperation and understanding between North America and Europe.

GMF does this by supporting individuals and institutions working on transatlantic issues, by convening leaders to discuss the most pressing transatlantic themes, and by examining ways in which transatlantic cooperation can address a variety of global policy challenges. In addition, GMF supports a number of initiatives to strengthen democracies.

Founded in 1972 through a gift from Germany on the 25^th anniversary of the Marshall Plan as a permanent memorial to Marshall Plan assistance, GMF maintains a strong presence on both sides of the Atlantic. In addition to its headquarters in Washington, DC, GMF has seven offices in Europe: Berlin, Bratislava, Paris, Brussels, Belgrade, Ankara, and Bucharest.