Lisa Franchett was sworn in as the Mission Director of USAID’s mission in Senegal on December 3, 2015.  Ms. Franchett manages USAID’s programs and works with the Government of Senegal and other partners to accelerate Senegal’s transition towards established lower middle-income status.  In Senegal, she supports programs that strengthen responsive democratic government, stimulate sustainable and broadly shared economic growth, effect equitable improvements in health status, and advance the reading performance of primary school students.  Ms. Franchette has served as USAID Senegal’s Deputy Mission Director since August 2014.

Ms. Franchett is a Counselor in the Senior Foreign Service with extensive experience in international education, development policy, strategic planning and program management. Prior to her current tenure in Senegal, Ms. Franchett was the Director for USAID’s Egypt Office of Education and Training.  In this capacity she oversaw the design and launch of the $250 Million US-Egypt Higher Education Initiative.  From 2009-2011, Ms. Franchett served as the Deputy Mission Director for USAID in West Africa and Acting Mission Director from 2011 – 2012.  Prior to that, she was the Director for the USAID Senegal Program Office from 2004 - 2009. 

Ms. Franchett began her development career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Niger.  She joined USAID as a President Management Fellow in 1988.  Since that time she has served in Malawi, South Africa, Ghana, and Senegal.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s degree in public policy from the Hubert Humphrey School of Public Affairs (University of Minnesota).  Ms. Franchett also pursued doctoral studies in international education at Stanford University.  Ms. Franchett is married and has two sons.