Dr. Brooke Isham assumed her position as the new Mission Director for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Azerbaijan.

As Mission Director for Azerbaijan, Dr. Isham will oversee USAID programs and assistance in the country. These programs support Azerbaijan's reform process by promoting competition and pluralism in the society, laying the foundations for a sustainable market-based democracy.

Prior to being named as Mission Director, Dr. Isham most recently served as the Deputy Mission Director in Afghanistan. In this position, her responsibilities included oversight of the USAID economic growth and infrastructure portfolios, as well as USAID field operations in Northern and Western Afghanistan. She also worked in Mali, Central Asia, Russia, Jordan and Sudan.

Dr. Isham received a Ph.D. in commodity economics in 1992 from Stanford University after obtaining a master’s degree in applied economics and a bachelor’s degree in economics, both at Stanford University.