Dr. Jatinder Cheema is USAID’s regional mission director for Central Asia.

Dr. Cheema, a Senior Foreign Service Officer, has served as a senior manager in multiple countries. Cheema’s last assignment was as Mission Director in Armenia from April 2009 to October 2012 managing programs in democracy, health and economic development. After retirement in 2012, Cheema established a community space in Madison to hold discussions on progressive issues affecting local needs, called A Place to Be. In addition, she did two short term assignments, one as USAIDs Country Coordinator for Sierra Leone and the second as Acting Mission Director for the USAID Mission for Guinea and Sierra Leone located in Guinea Conakry.

Dr. Cheema has served for over twenty years at USAID. Prior to Armenia, Cheema served as the deputy mission director and senior policy advisor to USAID's Mission in Afghanistan from April 2008 till March 2009. Before Afghanistan, Dr. Cheema served as the regional Mission Director for USAID's West Africa mission from 2005-2008 managing programs and staff in agriculture, economic growth, energy, infrastructure and health. Prior to that, she was the Mission Director for Eritrea from 2001- 2005. From 1999-2001, she served as USAID's deputy director for mission in Armenia.

Cheema also served as regional supervisory development officer for the Central Asia Republic Mission from 1995-1999; USAID representative and health population officer for the mission in Burkina Faso from 1992- 1995; and health specialist for the mission in Bangladesh from 1990- 1991. Cheema was the chief of party for a regional operations project in Bangladesh sponsored by the USAID Regional University Research Project from 1986-1990. She consulted for the World Bank, UNICEF and USAID from 1981-1986.

Cheema holds a Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, a master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of New Delhi in India.