Manager Executive

David Dyer

A five time Chief of Party for USAID contracts with 20 years of international development experience, Dr. Dyer has managed complex development projects in Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, all ASEAN countries, and Mongolia. Effective in implementing private sector led approaches, he is a skilled contracts manager, facilitator, and motivator who has designed and executed facilitative approaches to promote economic interdependence among diverse ethnic and socio-economic groups. Dr. Dyer has worked routinely with private sector partners, ranging from small enterprises to large companies, including Conoco-Phillips and Nestlé. In addition to managing multi-million-dollar USAID projects with significant grants and communications components, his development experience includes facilitating new and innovative business strategies for buyers, processors, traders, input suppliers, service providers, and farmer groups. He designed and implemented gender and youth interventions to better integrate marginalized populations into new market opportunities and leadership positions, including in the horticulture sector.

Dr. Dyer has developed productive and mutually beneficial partnerships with local and central governments during periods of transition. Dr. Dyer has built the capacity of government officials to address policy constraints, integrated private sector stakeholders in regional policy discussions to enhance trade, and facilitated multi-government and multi-donor dialogue on key rural development policy issues in Asia. Dr. Dyer is also a skilled communicator, delivering many high-level presentations and building good rapport with clients, as former Sri Lanka USAID Mission Director Reed Aeschliman noted, “David is a professional of the highest moral standards and levels of integrity. I found him to be honest, straightforward, dependable and reliable. He also has very solid technical, management, administrative, and interpersonal skills. David demonstrated an outstanding ability to work well and interact with host country Sri Lankans (up and to include the ministerial level) as well as USAID and a variety of private sector individuals, officials, and groups of different backgrounds and interests. He is friendly, tactful and exhibited good technical and managerial judgment during his assignment as SOLID COP in Sri Lanka.”

Dr. Dyer has held senior positions in the U.S. Government, including serving as Chief Economist, U. S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (1981-87), as Director of a Federal Commission (1987-89), and as a senior career officer in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC (1972 – 1981).

Dr. Dyer holds a Ph.D. in economics from American University and possesses strong interpersonal skills.

Education:

PhD, economics, American University, Washington, D.C., 1982

MA, economics, American University, Washington, D.C., 1976

BA, economics and business, The University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 1969

Professional Experience:

2020. Independent consultant, DBA David Dyer Consulting Services.

2017–2019. Director, Asia Regional Business Unit, Chemonics, U.S.A. Provided technical and financial oversight to a $53 million portfolio of USAID-funded projects, including the Punjab Enabling Environment (PEEP) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Activity (SMEA). Contributed to the design of WEinSPIRE, an initiative aligning private sector incentives to provide women livestock farmers access to finance, markets, technical services, and market information services.

2014–2017. Chief of Party, USAID Supporting Opportunities in Livelihood Development (SOLID), Chemonics, Sri Lanka. Managed and coached 66 staff members across Sri Lanka on $10.5-million market systems contract. Working with private sector partners, including Nestlé and local supermarket chains, transitioned farmers out of low-value production into high-value production for local and export markets in three target sectors: horticulture, dairy, and poultry, resulting in a 32% increase in participant farmer incomes. Designed and managed 24 partnerships to increase smallholder business linkages. Facilitated investment in milk collection and chilling centers linked to smallholder networks that major dairy buyers such as Nestlé now use for sourcing. This effort led to the adoption of food safety and quality control protocols down to the village level. Deployed techniques and technologies as input-oriented services, such as silage production, which increased milk production volumes by 30% to reach commercially viable scales. Partnered with Cargills to introduce passion fruit as an alternative crop to selected vulnerable, drought-prone communities. Worked with onion farmers to address shortage of quality seed by incentivizing local seedling cultivation. Built interdependence between different ethnic communities by facilitating exchange visits, sharing of best practices, and sales of inputs (growing medium) between Tamil and Sinhalese women-run mushroom producer groups.

2011–2014. Chief of Party, USAID Maximizing Agricultural Revenue through Knowledge, Enterprise Development and Trade (MARKET), Nathan Associates, Indonesia. Led 10 staff on $10-million contract to enhance agricultural trade and integrate private sector stakeholders in ASEAN policy discussions. Provided market intelligence to inform ASEAN food security and agriculture trade policies. Liaised with US firms, including Cargill, DuPont, and Monsanto to collaborate on harmonizing ASEAN input regulations.

2010–2011. Chief of Party, USAID Development of Community Agriculture, DAI, Timor-Leste. Managed 43 staff and $8.3-million budget, including grants. Enhanced livelihoods by supporting improved crop production and commercial horticulture and building capacity of producer groups to access markets. Leveraged $800,000 from Conoco-Phillips to establish four horticulture service hubs in secondary cities that nested integrated nursery, production, water management, and processing services. These hubs linked rural farmers to the value-adding aggregation point and onward to a sponsoring supermarket chain in the capital.

2006–2010. Chief of Party, USAID Bolstering Agriculture and Sustainable Agribusiness Reform (BASAR), DAI, Timor-Leste. Led the $11.6-million contract, including grant activities, to develop market efficiencies for agribusinesses, commercial enterprises and financial institutions, focusing on a variety of value chains. Supported increased productivity, facilitated dialogue on key agricultural policies through consultation with local government agencies, improved post-harvest handling and storage techniques, and strengthened linkages to markets, resulting in premium prices in end markets.

2005–2006. Chief of Party, USAID Restoring Vibrant Villages and Environments, Nathan Associates, Sri Lanka. Led USAID’s $10.5-million, 18-month grants program to restore livelihoods for 29,000 households in tsunami-affected areas of Sri Lanka.

2004–2005. Deputy Chief of Party, The Competitiveness Program (TCP), Nathan Associates, Sri Lanka. Responsible for start-up, project planning, and overseeing 19 staff. Mentored Sri Lankan business leaders to provide technical assistance to firms in eight industries, including spices, tea, and coconut. In the project’s first year, TCP increased export earnings by 12%.

2000–2003. Rural Development Director, USAID Gobi Initiative, Land O’Lakes, Mongolia. Built capacity of businesses, farmers, and local governments to sustain market development by addressing constraints in availability of market information, organizational capacity, and policy. Organized rural markets that generated $3.2 million in cashmere sales.

1999–2000, Team Director, Market Information, USAID Agriculture-Led Export Business Project, Sparks Associates, Egypt. Created information system about raw material, processing techniques, and international markets that informed decision-making among food businesses.

1989–1999. Consulting. Provided trade information and facilitation in support of international trade involving US food companies and farming entities, notably dairy cooperatives. The work generally involved providing support for USTR and other trade negotiators involved in disputes over application of tariffs and non-tariff measures to US food exports. On behalf of these clients, supported the establishment of the US Dairy Export Council.

1987–1988. Executive Director, National Commission on Dairy Policy, U.S.A. Informed US dairy policies to enhance productivity and international competitiveness.

1981–1987. Economist and Chief Economist, United States Senate, Committee on Agriculture, U.S.A. Provided analytical information to Senators and developed policy options on a range of agricultural and trade policy issues, including farm price stabilization, credit, international market development, and biotechnology. Routine interaction with Senators and Members of the House, with senior Administration officials --US Department of Agriculture, the Office of Management and Budget, and the US Trade Representative’s Office. Represented the Committee in conferences (official House-Senate meetings) convened to reconcile differences in bills enacted by House and Senate. Significantly involved in development of legislation authorizing major farm/food programs (1981, 1983, 1985). Represented the US Senate as an observer in Philippine government transition (April 1986) to evaluate needs for US assistance to support Philippine development initiatives.

1972 – 1981 U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Washington, DC.

Executive Officer, Science and Education Administration, Joint Planning and Evaluation Staff. Responsible to Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for program planning and budget evaluation for activities in agricultural research, extension, education and economics. Managed executive information systems and decision calendars for Assistant Secretary, Science and Education, and Agency heads. (GS14)

Economist, Economic Research Service. Responsible for coordinating agency and USDA’s periodic market outlook and situation reports for all major products and key indicators of the agricultural economy. Responsible for insuring use of appropriate methodologies, oversight of data base updates, evaluation and interpretation of trends, and timely availability of results. Routinely briefed US Secretary of Agriculture and senior departmental staff. (GS 7 -13)

Education

American University, Washington, DC. PhD, Economics, 1982; M.A., Economics, 1976.

The University of Delaware, Newark, DE. B.A., Economics & Business, 1969.

US Federal Executive Institute, Leadership Development Program (1976)

Languages: English (native); Spanish (proficient); Thai (basic); Indonesian (basic)

U.S. Army, 1969 - 1972. Airborne, Jumpmaster, and Ranger qualifications. Purple Heart (1971), service medals. O3 (Captain).

References: (available upon request)

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