Thursday, August 27, 2015, New Delhi – Ambassador Jonathan Addleton was sworn in today as the new U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) mission director to India.  Addleton assumes leadership as USAID partners with India to foster in-country sustainability and ownership, with a focus on health, urban water and sanitation, food security, clean energy, early grade reading, and women’s empowerment.  USAID is also partnering with India in triangular assistance cooperation aimed at addressing development challenges in third countries.

“These are exciting times to be working in India and I believe USAID could not have found a more capable leader than Ambassador Addleton.  His longstanding interest in global affairs provides him with the passion to deliver and achieve USAID’s objectives” said U.S. Ambassador to India Richard R. Verma at the swearing in ceremony.

A four-time USAID Mission Director (Pakistan, Cambodia, Mongolia and Central Asia), Jonathan Addleton has also served as the United States Ambassador to Mongolia, Senior Civilian Representative for Southern Afghanistan in Kandahar, and USAID Representative to the European Union in Brussels.  Earlier in his USAID career, he served as a USAID Program Officer in Jordan, Yemen and South Africa.  Prior to joining USAID in March 1984, he worked briefly at the World Bank, Macon Telegraph and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

His recent recognition includes a Distinguished Honor Award from USAID (2015); the Christian A. Herter Award for intellectual courage and constructive dissent from the American Foreign Service Association (2014); the ISAF Service Medal from NATO and Outstanding Civilian Service Medal from the United States Army (2013); and the Polar Star, Mongolia's highest civilian award, from the President of Mongolia (2012).

Addleton's academic degrees include a PhD and MA from Tufts University (Medford, MA) and a BS from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL).  His foreign service languages include Hindi and Urdu.  Ambassador Addleton is a career foreign service officer.