The Life of a Foreign Service Officer

Marianna Smith is a Foreign Service Officer with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). She is currently assigned to the Southern Africa Regional Mission based in Pretoria, South Africa where she designs and monitors development projects in the education, environment, democracy, economic growth, and health sectors. Prior to her assignment with USAID/Southern Africa, she worked for USAID/Washington in the Office of Policy and in the Africa Bureau. Before joining USAID, Marianna was a Migrant Services Specialist at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and worked for a contractor of the U.S. Department of State implementing an exchange program for U.S. business leaders and Latin American entrepreneurs. 

Marianna holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan and a BA in Communication and Spanish from Alma College. Marianna is an alumna of the Donald M. Payne International Development Fellowship. She is a 2013 graduate of Ludington High School and a recipient of a Rotary scholarship for her undergraduate education.