John A. Pennell

John A. Pennell, a Career Member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, is the Country Representative for USAID/Libya. Prior to assuming this position, he served as the Deputy Mission Director of the USAID Regional Mission to Ukraine and Belarus from 2015-19, helping to oversee the Agency’s largest Mission in the region and its efforts to counter malign Russian influence.

He also served in Ukraine from 1999-2001. Mr. Pennell has also served as the Deputy Mission Director for USAID/East Africa, based in Nairobi, Kenya, where he led efforts to ramp up USAID’s Somalia program. He has also served in other management and technical positions with USAID including in Afghanistan, El Salvador, Indonesia, Iraq, and Uzbekistan.

Mr. Pennell has a Master’s degree in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University’s National War College, a Master’s degree in Political Science from American University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Politics from The Catholic University of America. He is currently a PhD candidate in International Security Studies at King’s College London.