Robert (Bob) Powers is the Acting Deputy Assistant to the Administrator for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning (PPL), overseeing the Office of Development Cooperation (DC). 

Bob joined USAID in January 2019, to serve as a Special Advisor in PPL/DC, and has led on building out new elements of the Multilateral Affairs Team.  This includes working to establish new Public International Organization (PIO) coordinator roles for the Agency, developing a senior level Multilateral Engagement and Performance Council, team build-up, and improving the use of capacity and performance information of PIO’s as a part of due diligence assessments.  Bob has represented USAID as a delegate at United Nations (UN) events, including the UNICEF board meetings, the UN Financing for Development Forum, and the Senior Level Meeting (SLM) of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC) in New York City. 

Bob has extensive experience in the Washington, D.C., area, serving at senior levels in government relations, communications/media and in marketing for almost 20 years.  Previous to USAID, Bob worked in business development, serving as the Vice President of the Utzy Naturals’ Natural Foods Channel.  He is the former Vice President of the National Religious Broadcasters, where he directly represented the association for 10 years with the United States Congress, White House, the Federal Communications Commission, and several humanitarian organizations.  He later worked as a Government Relations-Consultant for C-Suite executives of large tech, internet and broadcast companies.  This included Microsoft, 24/7 Media, Conversant and one of the nation’s largest radio networks, Salem Media Group.

Bob received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.