Today, at a U.S. Embassy ceremony, Ambassador Robert Scott administered the oath of office to Dr. Catie Lott as the new Mission Director for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for Malawi. Outgoing Mission Director Littleton Tazwell attended the ceremony, with USAID and Embassy staff.
As Mission Director, Dr. Lott will oversee USAID’s approximately $200 million annual development investment that is working to improve the lives of all Malawians.
During the ceremony, Ambassador Robert Scott spoke highly about Dr. Lott’s leadership qualities: “Dr. Lott takes the mantle at USAID/Malawi at an important moment, after the election of new leadership for Malawi, and when the Mission is preparing to champion a new Country Development Cooperation Strategy, which is helping Malawians to improve their lives, be resilient and become self reliant. Her vast experience in international development, will further strengthen USAID’s partnership with Government of Malawi, implementing partners, other donors, civil society, and the private sector to help Malawians effectively address recurrent crises such as hunger, disease, illiteracy and deforestation,” Ambassador Scott said.
Outgoing Mission Director Mr. Tazwell also highlighted USAID’s and Dr. Lott’s roles in Malawi’s development; “I am very proud to have worked with Dr. Lott. She is a natural leader who brings to USAID/Malawi a wealth of experience in international development. Having worked with me in Malawi for the past year, she understands the Malawi program very well and she has made major contributions in the formulation of the new five-year strategy, the implementation of which she will proudly lead.”
Dr. Lott began her professional career as a journalist, and her work in Somalia led to her embarking on a second career in international development. Dr. Lott has worked on development projects across the globe, from Africa to Latin America to Asia, recently serving as Deputy Mission Director in Tanzania and Malawi. Her areas of expertise include gender, civil society, and elections.
Dr. Lott holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara; Master of Arts from Syracuse University, New York; and Doctor of Philosophy from Maastricht University, Netherlands. Dr. Lott resides in Malawi with her two teenage daughters.
Dr. Lott replaces Mr. Tazewell who has led the USAID/Malawi Mission for the past five-years. Mr. Tazewell marks the end of his tenure in Malawi with the development and approval of the new, highly integrated, Country Development Cooperation Strategy (2020-2025), designed to improve the quality of health care, increase access to education, expand livelihood opportunities, and strengthen democratic institutions in support of the Government and people of Malawi.
On behalf of the American people, USAID promotes and demonstrates democratic values abroad, and advances a free, peaceful, and prosperous world. In support of America’s foreign policy, USAID leads the U.S. Government’s international development and disaster assistance through partnerships and investments that save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people emerge from humanitarian crises and progress beyond assistance.
For more information about USAID/Malawi, please visit www.usaid.gov/malawi