Julia V. Taft
Julia Vadala Taft, a leading authority on humanitarian and international development issues, has held senior positions in both government and the private sector throughout her career. She recently served as interim president and CEO of InterAction, a coalition of more than 160 US-based private voluntary organizations working on development, refugee assistance, and humanitarian relief. From 2001 to 2004 Ms. Taft was the assistant administrator and director in the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which addresses issues of crisis prevention, post-conflict recovery, institution-building, and natural disaster mitigation. In January 2002, she headed the UN Task Force, coordinating and formulating a single, coherent recovery effort for Afghanistan in support of the work of the special representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Afghanistan. She led similar efforts for Iraq, Haiti, and Liberia.
Prior to joining UNDP, Ms. Taft served as assistant secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration at the United States State Department from 1997 to 2001. She was president and CEO of InterAction from 1993 to 1997. She also served as USAID director of the Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance. Ms. Taft has received several awards, including a White House fellowship (1970), One of the Ten Most Outstanding Men and Women in Federal Service (1976), the Presidential End Hunger Award (1989), the USAID Distinguished Service Award (1989), and the USSR Award for Personal Courage for her relief efforts in the Armenian earthquake (1990).