Polly Dunford is the Mission Director for Cambodia. Prior to this,

she served as the Southern Syria Assistance Coordinator (SSAC)

based in Amman, Jordan, where she led U.S. Government

assistance efforts focused on southern Syria. A Senior Foreign

Service Officer, Ms. Dunford has been with USAID for 15 years,

serving in Washington DC, Haiti, Nigeria, Mozambique, and

Jordan.

Ms. Dunford previously served as the USAID/Jordan Deputy

Director for Syria Related Programs, where she led the Mission’s

development of a strategic approach to mitigate the effects of the

Syria crisis in Jordan. Ms. Dunford also served as the Deputy

Director of the USAID Mission in Mozambique, where she built a

coalition of G8 donors, private sector agribusiness investors, and

the government of Mozambique to stimulate the agriculture

sector and lift more than 3 million people out of poverty.

As a health office director in three overseas posts, Ms.

Dunford managed large, diverse portfolios targeting HIV/AIDS,

tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health, reproductive

health, and nutrition. Ms. Dunford played a key role in the launch

of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in Haiti

from 2002-2004, and led the rapid scale-up of PEPFAR in

Nigeria and Mozambique. She also oversaw the development of

the Global Health Initiative strategy in Mozambique, including the

President’s Malaria Initiative and components of the Feed the

Future Initiative.

Before joining USAID, Ms. Dunford served as the Country Director

of the Near East Foundation in Morocco and was a Peace Corps

volunteer in Cote d’Ivoire.

A New York City native, Ms. Dunford holds a Master’s degree in

Public Health from Tulane University and a B.A. in History from

Northwestern University.  Ms. Dunford is married and has three

children.