Washington, D.C. — The Center for American Progress is welcoming Daniele Nyirandutiye as a senior fellow for foreign assistance and investment in its National Security and International Policy department.
At a moment when U.S. foreign assistance is under strain, Nyirandutiye will work to build a new framework for how America mobilizes and deploys aid and investment abroad—one grounded in democratic values and long-term national security.
“After Trump has all but decimated the foreign programs, bold new ideas on how the United States will mobilize assistance and investment to address pressing global challenges are more critical than ever for our own security and prosperity,” said Damian Murphy, senior vice president for National Security and International Policy at CAP. “With decades of experience abroad and in Washington, D.C., Daniele brings the policy skills and innovative approach that we need to drive a new vision for U.S. leadership in the world.”
Nyirandutiye’s career includes service at the White House National Security Council (NSC), nearly two decades as a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) foreign service officer, and in private capital markets. At USAID, she served in senior roles including as mission director in Uganda, where she oversaw a $500 million annual portfolio and more than 200 staff. She also served as senior adviser to the agency counselor, where she helped lead the agency’s most significant institutional reforms in more than 30 years.
As director for African affairs at the NSC, she advised the president and senior U.S. officials on a wide range of national security priorities, including doubling funding for the Prosper Africa Initiative.
“After years working on the ground, in government, and in private markets, I am eager to help reimagine how development drives both economic growth and national security and turn that vision into policy,” Nyirandutiye said.
She has also led large-scale global health programs and coordinated U.S. responses to public health emergencies including Ebola, COVID-19, and plague. Most recently, she served as a partner at Desmos Capital Partners, advising on private capital deployment in emerging and frontier markets.
She holds a master’s in public health from Emory University and dual degrees in premedicine and chemistry from the University of Dayton. She is fluent in French and Kinyarwanda.
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].