Otto J. Gonzalez

Over the past five years, Otto Gonzalez served as the team leader managing the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, technical assistance efforts in Afghanistan. These efforts are undertaken in collaboration with the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. military. Based in Washington, with periodic travel to Afghanistan, Otto has overseen the development of specialized USDA technical assistance for a variety of agricultural reconstruction activities with USAID/Afghanistan, such as in animal disease control, and natural resource management and conservation. From 2004-2006, Gonzalez also managed the selection and deployment of USDA technical specialists as agricultural advisors on Afghanistan Provincial Reconstruction Teams, or PRTs.

Prior to serving as team leader, Otto's first activities in Afghanistan were in 2003, organizing USDA assistance for helping start the Afghan Conservation Corps. Otto has been with USDA for 12 years, and helped develop and implement USDA's post-Hurricane Mitch reconstruction activities for Central America, 1999-2001. From 1994-1996 he was an American Association for the Advancement of Science Diplomacy Fellow at USAID, focusing on biodiversity conservation. Otto earned a Ph.D. in Natural Resources and Environment in 1994 from the University of Michigan.

More recently, in mid- April 2009, Otto was detailed from USDA to the staff of the Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Department of State, where he focuses on issues involving agricultural redevelopment.