Careers in International Development and Sustainable Development in the Congo

Have you ever been interested in the Foreign Service or a life abroad? Sustainability is a fundamental principal of international development. Rebecca Acuña, a career diplomat, will discuss a lesser known area of the Foreign Service, working as an international development professional, and how project management skills are valuable to conduct the work of the US Agency for International Development. She will also delve into the complex and interrelated worlds of minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the global green energy transition.

This course directly supports the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:

1 - No Poverty

7 - Affordable and Clean Energy

8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

10 - Reduced Inequalities

This event is taking place on a weekday morning to accommodate our speaker's time zone in Kinshasa. The talk will be recorded, and the recording will be sent to all registrants.

The registration fee is a donation we are collecting for the ICAP Fellows Association, a non-profit for the advancement of diversity in foreign affairs leadership roles. If you are facing financial hardship, please reach out to sustainability@pmisfbac.org for a fee waiver.

Speaker info

Rebecca Acuña 

Ms. Acuña is a Foreign Service Officer for the US Agency for International Development. She is currently serving a diplomatic posting in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, as the Director of the Economic Growth Office. For the past 15 years, she has worked with governments and international private sector to advance economic development in the Middle East, West and Central Africa and Southeast Asia. In this role, she provides strategic direction and advocates for sustainable development that is inclusive and transparent. Around the world, she has designed and implemented a variety of economic development activities focused on SME competitiveness, trade and investment, food security, digital economy and responsible minerals trade,

Prior to joining USAID, Ms. Acuña worked with ag and tech start-ups in Silicon Valley and was also a Peace Corps Volunteer in Panama. A native of Corpus Christi, Texas, Ms. Acuña holds an MBA from the Monterey Institute of International Studies and a BS in Communications from the University of Texas. She speaks Spanish and French, is an avid cook and loves to explore the world with her husband, Jaime, and their 3 year old daughter, Emilia.