Barbara Dickerson was sworn as the mission director for USAID’s Mission to Guinea and Sierra Leone in August 2016. The mission is based in Conakry, Guinea, but supports programs in both Guinea and Sierra Leone in agriculture, democracy and human rights, environment, gender equality, and global health.

Ms. Dickerson hails from Wisconsin and is a career member of the United States Foreign Service. She began her career with the U.S. Agency for International Development in 1990 and joined the Foreign Service in 2003.

Previously, Ms. Dickerson served as the Deputy Mission Director in Liberia. Prior to her position in Monrovia, she served as the Program Officer for USAID Missions in Benin, Madagascar, and Nigeria. 

Prior to joining the Foreign Service, she served as a consultant and contractor for USAID Missions with a focus on strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation. Ms. Dickerson worked in several African countries including Togo, Ghana, Kenya and Somalia. In addition to her development work she has experience in university and hospital administration.

She is a 1985 cum laude graduate of the Ohio State University with a degree in French and German. She was a Fulbright scholar at the University of Saarland in Germany where she completed a certificate in European Community Law and Policy Studies. In 1990, she received her master’s degree in European Studies and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. 

Barbara is married and has two children.