James A. Bever – Advisor

James Andrew Bever has served for 35 years as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He retired with the U.S. Senior Foreign Service rank of Career Minister in mid-2017, after acting as USAID Assistant Administrator for Legislative & Public Affairs.

While with USAID, he served overseas as the Mission Director to Afghanistan, to Egypt, to the West Bank & Gaza Strip, and to Ghana, as well as in other responsibilities overseas in India, Indonesia and Pakistan.  Senior leadership assignments at HQ in Washington D.C. included senior Assistant to the Administrator for Afghanistan and Pakistan; Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Middle East & Iraq; Director for Energy, Urban & Environment for the New Independent Republics of the former Soviet Union; and as Faculty at the U.S. National War College and at the U.S. Foreign Service Institute.

After retiring from USAID in 2017, Mr. Bever consulted professionally for various international management and overseas development firms. He has served on both elected and appointed Boards of Directors for numerous international charitable, alumni, and community service associations and lectured at Chautauqua Institution.

Prior to USAID, he worked in Morocco, at SUNY Stonybrook/Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, at the Overseas Development Council working on Sub-Saharan Africa, and at the U.S. Embassy in Togo. He has served as Intern with the United Nations Secretariat, the U.S. Congress, and the Smithsonian.

Mr. Bever has a Master of Science Degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, a Master of Science Certificate in National Security Strategy from the National War College, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from Cornell University.  He is married, has two married sons, a granddaughter and a grandson.

Mr. Bever is a recipient of the U.S. Presidential Distinguished Service Award and the USAID Administrator’s Distinguished Career Service Award.