WASHINGTON, D.C. - Andrew M. Herscowitz was sworn in today as the Mission Director for the U.S. Agency for International Development's mission in Quito, Ecuador. Herscowitz comes to Quito from Lima, Peru, where he served as the Supervisory Regional Legal Advisor for Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru from August 2008 until August 2009, when he assumed the role of Acting Deputy Mission Director and later, Acting Mission Director.

Herscowitz joined USAID in 2001 as a Regional Legal Advisor, serving in USAID's Development Credit Authority loan guarantee program. He also helped design the framework for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Prior to his assignment to Peru, Herscowitz was USAID's Regional Legal Advisor for the Caribbean (2002-2007) where he provided legal services to the USAID missions in Barbados, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, and Jamaica.

In assuming the role of Mission Director, Herscowitz will manage a $17 million portfolio supporting programs in agriculture development, democracy and governance, economic development, and water sanitation. Herscowitz will also oversee programs in conservation and disaster preparedness, two areas that are critical in Ecuador.

Herscowitz is looking forward to the opportunity to partner with Ecuadorians who are vital to the success of the programs. "As USAID commemorates 50 years of development cooperation, we are anxious to work closely with the people of Ecuador to define a cooperation strategy that leverages the tremendous human, natural, and financial resources that Ecuador brings to the table," Herscowitz said. "We look forward to close collaboration to set mutual priorities and continue working toward improving the quality of life of Ecuadorian communities."

Herscowitz began his career in international development as a consultant with Probe International - a company specializing in risk analysis for multi-national companies and foreign governments seeking to invest in developing countries. After graduating from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in 1992, Herscowitz spent a year as a Georgetown volunteer in Nicaragua, coordinating tidal wave relief efforts on the Pacific coast for an NGO.

Herscowitz graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1996 and then worked for five years as a litigation lawyer in Washington, DC. While in private practice, he was named the law firm's pro bono lawyer of the year for running a Boy Scouts of America Law Explorers program for inner-city youth and for successfully helping victims of political persecution obtain asylum in the United States. In 2005, the Federal Bar Association recognized Herscowitz as one of the five most outstanding lawyers under the age of 35 in the U.S. federal government.

Herscowitz was raised in Potomac, Maryland. He is married and has three children.