PSC Association

Hazel Correa (Power Africa, South Africa)

I have worked for USAID since 2017 in various capacities including as a resident-hire U.S. Personal Services Contractor (USPSC), overseas-hire USPSC, and in a Foreign Service Limited role. I have served overseas and in Washington, D.C. I am currently an overseas-hire USPSC with Power Africa based in Pretoria, South Africa. I recognize the many gains made to advance the benefits now afforded to USPSCs are thanks in part to the hard work and dedication of the many PSCs who have volunteered on the PSC Association. Since January 2024, I have been a member of the PSC Association Executive Committee. I would like to continue to volunteer to advocate for more equitable benefits, answer questions sent to the Committee, inform fellow PSCs about the intricacies of the mechanism, and influence Agency leadership on advancing our collective priorities. It would be my privilege to continue to serve on our PSC Association Executive Committee.

 

Madison Cullinan (USAID/BHA, Washington, D.C.)

I have been with USAID for nearly four and a half years, employed via various contracting mechanisms, and now serve as a PSC in the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA). I am motivated to advocate for improvements to the hiring process for PSCs and promote equity in the benefits afforded to PSC staff. Given the significant concentration of PSCs in BHA, I have regular access to a large population of the PSC Association’s constituency to field concerns and elevate issues. Additionally, I have experience coordinating with other agency-wide groups, such as Employee Resources Groups, from my service on the Young Professionals at USAID Executive Board.

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Andrea Danziger (USAID/BHA, Washington, D.C.)

I have worked at USAID for five years in both PSC and ISC roles, domestically and internationally, which has given me a well-rounded perspective for the USAID PSC Executive Committee. Currently based in Washington, D.C., I have been actively involved in advocating for the equitable treatment and benefits of USPSCs, representing the diverse interests and needs of our association. While the progress made in expanding hiring mechanisms beyond USPSCs is commendable, a significant portion of our workforce remains USPSCs. It is essential that we continue to push for meaningful improvements in the terms and conditions affecting our existing workforce, particularly in reducing the time it takes to navigate the hiring process. It would be an honor to continue serving and advocating for our community's priorities. Thank you for considering my continued participation on the committee.

 

Anna Kennedy (USAID/BHA, Washington, D.C.)

My name is Anna (Earles) Kennedy and I have been a PSC with USAID since 2015. I am passionate about advocating for the rights of PSCs because I know how important these issues are to us. From paid parental leave, to raising the insurance cap and ensuring that we are working with a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) lens, there is so much work to be done. As an Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Advisor, I am able to leverage my experience to support a data driven approach, and continue the PSC Association’s work of tackling the most difficult issues. Thank you for your consideration.

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Jason Porter (USAID/Southern Africa, South Africa)

I have worked for USAID since 2014 in various capacities including seven years as an Institutional Support Contractor, a civil servant, and as an overseas-hire USPSC. I have served overseas and in Washington, D.C. I am currently an overseas-hire USPSC with the Southern Africa Regional Mission based in Pretoria, South Africa. I am interested in volunteering on the executive committee to bring my experience as an overseas USPSC to the group, to represent both domestic and overseas PSCs, and to advocate for the issues that USPSCs face. This includes the unique issues that USPSC face such as leave transfers between PSC contracts, overseas locality pay, health insurance benefits, and contract standardization between posts. I have led an effort at our Mission to facilitate coordination and collaboration amongst our Mission's USPSCs. As a Regional Mission where PSCs are spread across four different countries, this group has been a valuable resource for sharing information related to Mission and agency policies and processes unique related to PSCs, sharing resources, and learning about advocacy. As a member of the PSC Association Executive Committee I will bring this same energy and dedication to helping fellow PSCs to the whole USAID PSC community.

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Justin Sherman (USAID/OTI and USAID/BHA, India)

I am volunteering to serve on the PSC Association Executive Committee in order to help advocate for USPSC-related issues, a subject for which I have some passion. I have been a USPSC since May 1999 and have had twelve contracts, serving both overseas and in Washington, full-time and intermittent, with Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) and Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) (mainly with the latter). Currently I am on intermittent contracts with both BHA and OTI, and live in New Delhi where my wife works. Much of my Washington, D.C. time has been in OTI senior management positions where per usual I had to fend for myself in the USPSC contract process but also from a management perspective where I developed a strong understanding of the PSC mechanism, the rules and regulations that govern this hiring type, and the wide variety of issues faced by USPSCs. I dislike the inequities inherent to the USPSC mechanism (anybody heard of Overseas Comparability Pay (OCP), for example?), and have always felt strongly about pursuing better benefits for USPSCs (as I think many people know Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) leadership has traditionally been in the forefront of advocating on behalf of USPSCs and has always led the good fight) and helping my peers be as well informed as possible about the pros and cons of being a USPSC. If I serve on the PSC Association Executive Committee I will use my experience and knowledge, as well as the many enduring relationships I have built within USAID, to continue to help improve the situation for the Agency's USPSCs around the world.

 

Abigail Slenski (USAID/OTI, Benin and Washington, D.C.)

I joined USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) as a PSC in September 2016 and have served as a Deputy Country Representative for Niger, a Transition Advisor (worldwide) and a Program Performance Management Coordinator in Washington, D.C. Currently on an intermittent contract as Senior Transition Advisor, she has primarily provided field coverage, serving in Niger, Pakistan (briefly), Sudan, Benin, Togo and Honduras. In this work she has interacted substantially with colleagues across hiring mechanisms, including many USAID Mission-based PSCs and has a strong understanding of the particular constraints facing off-shore PSCs. She has also worked actively, where possible from technical program roles, to streamline and improve PSC hiring to be more more transparent, more equitable and more open - often by simply being available to answer the question of prospective applicants. She seeks to continue serving on the Executive Committee to further this effort but also to be able to support the ongoing efforts by the Committee to clarify USPSC benefits and to encourage improved information sharing with all PSCs to ensure an equal base of knowledge, even for those not part of a PSC-heavy bureau like Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization (CPS) or Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA).