Global Development Interrupted Podcast
von The People, the Work, and What Was Lost When America Stepped Back
- alle zwei WochenErscheinungsrhythmus
- 34 mintypische Länge
- 23. Okt.letzte Folge
Global Development Interrupted creates space for voices, perspectives, and critical reflection on global development. By amplifying the experiences of people who have built their careers in public service and global work, it invites learning, dialogue, and reimagining of what global development is, was, and could be.
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Bonus: Samantha Power on AI, the U.N. and Who Writes the Rules
Tech leaders recently went to the U.N. Security Council to talk about oversight of AI. The U.S. government rejected global governance of AI outright. In this bonus conversation, Ambassador Samantha Power, former U.S. ambassador to the Unite
Samantha Power: “They Moved Fast and They Broke Everything”
Ambassador Samantha Power, former war correspondent, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and the last administrator of USAID, joins Global Development Interrupted to discuss what she witnessed inside government, what the dismantling of U
What Do Markets Have to Do with It?
Life stops when the electricity goes out, and that’s not just how it feels. The International Energy Agency says electricity consumption and GDP growth have historically gone hand in hand, particularly in emerging and developing economies.
We've Set Fire to a Bunch of Our Ships
What happens when environmental work that has taken decades to build suddenly disappears? For years, USAID supported efforts around the world to protect forests and wildlife, reduce pollution, strengthen local communities, and address the i
Demography Is Destiny. But Whose?
Can demography — the study of how populations grow, move, and change — offer a window into a country’s future? That’s what Leah talks about with Dr. Apoorva Jadhav, former USAID senior demographer and statistician, in this episode of Global
Democracy Is Never Finished
Democracy is never finished. No country has gotten it perfect—not even here at home. In this episode of Global Development Interrupted, Leah talks with Amy Hamelin, a former USAID Democracy Officer who spent her career working across South
She Spent 16 Years Communicating for USAID. Then She Started Talking to Americans.
For 16 years, Sara Sullivan helped USAID tell its story around the world. She never imagined she’d have to explain it to Americans. When the agency was dismantled in early 2025, she watched misinformation spread through the Republican and e
A Kid from Queens
When Jen Erie published her memoir, she expected her global development colleagues to connect with it. She didn’t expect older white men to message her saying they saw their own lives in hers. Jen Erie grew up the daughter of Haitian immigr
The Name That Got It Killed
A scholarship program training the next generation of democratic leaders was named “Diversity and Inclusion” specifically to hide it from a military dictatorship. On day nine of the Trump presidency, that name got it canceled. Matt Pietz sp
We Are the Work
Keisha Effiom sat at her dining room table in Rwanda, read the email about USAID’s final mission, and started writing. The result is a memoir — and this conversation. Keisha, former USAID Mission Director for Rwanda and Burundi, joins Globa
From USAID to the Ballot Box
Three former USAID officers. Three Maryland races. One mission: keep serving. In this episode of Global Development Interrupted, host Leah Petit sits down with Alicia Contreras-Donello, running for Maryland House of Delegates District 14; A
From Learning to Leadership: What USAID Made Possible
A career spent investing in global education didn’t just build schools. It built futures. In this episode, former USAID Foreign Service Officer and Education Specialist Siena Fleischer shares what it takes to create opportunity through educ
Unleashed: Reimagining Global Conservation After the USAID Shutdown
What do malaria rates, indigenous forests in Peru, and elephant tusk trafficking have in common? They’re all part of what USAID’s conservation work actually looked like. And what we’ve lost. Cynthia Gill spent 32 years building USAID’s cons
Bearing Witness
What does it feel like to edit the word "equality" out of a US government document? To watch global development programs you believed in disappear overnight? Kelli Rogers knows. A global development journalist who moved from the newsroom to
Forced Into Hope
She was a new mom, weeks postpartum, when she got fired. No warning. No plan. Just a career she’d spent 18 years building — gone. Kathleen Borgueta wasn’t supposed to become a founder. She was supposed to go back to work at USAID, where she
Once More Into the Breach
He was in the room when it happened. Alex Natsios sat next to his father, Andrew Natsios — former USAID Administrator, war veteran, conservative Republican — for four and a half hours as members of Congress stood up one by one and repeated
Food Security Is Global Security
What does food security really have to do with global stability and everyday life? In this episode, I’m joined by Marian Ostertag, a former USAID Foreign Service Officer who spent her career working on agriculture and food security. Marian
Inside USAID’s Dismantling: A Deputy Director’s Account of the Lifesaving Memo That Changed Everything
In this powerful conversation, Ramona Godbole, former Deputy Director of Policy Planning and Programs at USAID’s Global Health Bureau, takes us inside the chaotic dismantling of America’s global health infrastructure—and the critical memo t
From the American People: What We Lost When USAID Was Dismantled
JP, a third-generation Joseph Paul from “the other Dallas” (Pennsylvania), spent over a decade working on USAID projects across Africa and beyond—from Nigeria to Bangladesh, South Africa to Tanzania. From combating childhood malnutrition to
When Diplomacy, Development, and Defense Worked Together
In the Season Two premiere of Global Development Interrupted, host Leah Petit is joined by Chris Wurst, a former Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State and the creator and host of the podcast SoftPower/Ful Stories (https:
“It’s Not Over Yet.”
In our last episode, Ben Eveslage described what happened when U.S. global assistance suddenly stopped. Programs froze, but local partners kept showing up. Community organizations, peer educators, community volunteers, and community health
Holding the Line: The People Keeping HIV Care Alive
As we close out our focus on World AIDS Day, we talk with Ben Eveslage about a path that starts in suburban Michigan and extends across Ghana, Iraq, East Africa, and beyond, and the photography project he created to capture the people behin
Ending HIV Takes More Than Treatment
In last week’s episode, Eric Smith shared how USAID’s Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility worked to build an agency where people felt seen, valued, and included. That conversation served as a reminder that inclusion is
Who Gets to Represent America: Inside USAID’s Push to Reflect the Full Country
Before USAID was dismantled, one small office was trying to bring the full breadth of America into public service. Eric Smith grew up in Massachusetts with Catholic values, conservative media, and a fascination with the Founding Fathers. Th
Pandemics Don’t Stop at Borders: Why Global Health Security Still Matters
In 2014, Ebola reached U.S. shores—a wake-up call that pandemics anywhere can threaten communities everywhere. In response, the United States with other countries and international organizations launched the Global Health Security Agenda (G
Building Back Better: Dr. George Siberry on the Global Fight Against HIV
Dr. George Siberry, former Chief Medical Officer in USAID’s Office of HIV/AIDS, has spent his career at the heart of the global fight against HIV. A pediatrician by training, George began his journey translating for children with HIV in Bal
Migration Is a Symptom, Not the Problem
Migration begins long before someone reaches a border — in the loss of stability, opportunity, and trust that makes it impossible to stay. For decades, USAID helped address those root causes by strengthening democratic institutions, support
An American Public Servant: From Small-Town Government to Global Democracy
What does it mean to lead with service, not fear? In this episode, former USAID Democracy and Governance Director Jeremy Williamee shares how investing in local governments and community stability helped address the root causes of migration
Interrupted Innovation: What Happens When Aid Stops Mid-Rollout
When USAID was dismantled, Ashley Vij was mid-call planning the rollout of one of the most promising HIV prevention tools in decades — Lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injection that could revolutionize access for women and hard-to-reach communi
American Greatness, Measured in Lives Saved
Annē Linn, a sixth-generation Montanan, shares how her faith and early exposure to child mortality statistics led her into global health. From Peace Corps Senegal to serving as a USAID Community Health Advisor with the President’s Malaria I
