Think Creative - Issue 3

Creative Life

a mission-driven community

Earl Gast’s development career has taken him to over 90 countries. He says the best part of his job is seeing results firsthand on the ground.

Earl Gast Results-driven leadership from DC to the field Staff Spotlight

Pick a pivotal period around the globe in the past 20-plus years, and chances are Earl Gast was there. After the ousting of Philippines’ dictator FernandoMarcos and the assassination of opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr., Gast was in-country with USAID helping a new dem- ocratically elected government find its feet. Shortly after the Soviet Union splintered, he served with the U.S. Embassy in Russia. Then there was the post-war territory of Kosovo, the early days of the Iraq war and the surge in Afghanistan—and each time Gast was there as a development expert. “I was always in these countries at the right time,” says Gast, whose development career has taken him to 90 countries. At USAID, Gast earned a reputation as an advocate for innovation and a devoted believer in locally owned development. Based on these efforts, in April 2012 President Obama nominat- ed Gast, and the U.S. Senate approved him, for Assistant Administrator of the Africa Bureau, overseeing $8 billion and 3,000 employees. After retiring froma 24-year-career at USAID, Gast spent two years with an international law firmprimarily promoting investment into Africa. Though he enjoyed that post-USAIDwork, Gast’s heart was firmly in development and in July 2016 hemoved to Creative as the Senior Vice President of Education and Economic Growth. Under his leadership, the divisions’ portfolios grew. Today, as Creative’s newly appointed Executive Vice President for Programs, Gast brings his expansive experience to bear as he manages a portfolio of projects in three Divisions (Edu- cation, Economic Growth and Communities in Transition), which currently have activities in more than 30 countries fromAfghanistan to Honduras. Gast is working closely with Chief Operating Officer PabloMaldonado, Senior Vice Presi- dent TomWheelock and Senior Vice President Sharon Cooley to achievemany goals—fromnew

business to project performance. “In development, there aremultiple bottom lines,” he says. “USAID and other donors expect the projects to be effective and cost-efficient, but also there’s a focus on results and achieving impact. And so that’s actually what the best part of my day is, when I see the great work we are doing in the field.” And compared to his government days, Gast is now able to see those results up close. On a recent trip to Nigeria, he traveled to the city of Maiduguri, the capital of northeastern Borno State—a location that would have been mostly off-limits during his time in the U.S. government because of security concerns. In an area Gast calls “the epicenter of the crisis” wrought by terrorists groups BokoHaramand, more recently, the Islamic State inWest Africa, Creative is implementing projects to build resil- ience to extremism, strengthen trust between governments and vulnerable communities, and

provide displaced and traumatized children and youth a chance to learn and heal. “We see the impact we’re having on people’s lives,” he says, reflecting on his visit. “For IDP girls, for example, they have been given an opportunity for education, something that we would take for granted. And for them, it’s the only opportunity they have, and they’re not letting go of it. They’ve really seized it.” Whether at headquarters or in the field, Gast is typically not found sitting behind a desk. In Washington, he is oftenmeeting with program and operations staffmembers at all levels of the organization. About eight times a year, Gast is in the field working with staff, partners, clients and host governments to ensure Creative is achiev- ing or exceeding project goals. “I’mworking with just some of the brightest people, whether they’re in their 20s or in their 50s,” he says. “There’s such a passion for devel- opment here.” n

Photo by Skip Brown

26 | Think Creative | Summer 2018