Alene McMahon has been working in international development for more than 25 years, from the grassroots level as a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa, to the executive level as President/CEO of a development consulting firm.
During 16 years at Chemonics International, she worked on USAID projects throughout Africa and Asia implementing a variety of development solutions, including private sector development, microfinance, institutional capacity building, health and family planning, and HIV/Aids prevention. Alene designed and directed projects from start-up to close-out, developing proposals, work plans, monitoring and evaluation plans, and led project implementation in the field. She also conducted research for publication, participated on assessment and evaluation teams and served as a business analyst and trainer in value chain analysis.
As President/CEO of Crown Agents USA, Alene led the company through a successful restructuring and repositioning process, developing a new corporate vision and strategy, and building the team to execute it. More recently, she has been a consultant for several Washington-based USAID contractors, including the Kaizen Company, Panagora Group, and NORC. Alene excels at leading programs to achieve results and impact, and is known for her ability to create strong working relationships with clients and staff, based on integrity and respect. She has experience in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uganda, Togo, Indonesia, Philippines, Mongolia, Cambodia, Viet Nam, Sri Lanka, Mali, Cameroon, Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, and Egypt. English is her native language, and she is proficient in French and Swedish.
In her personal time, Alene enjoys a variety of creative outlets– painting in watercolor and oil, testing new vegan and vegetarian recipes, and landscaping her mid-century modern home in Alexandria, Virginia. She is on the board of her neighborhood civic association, and travels several times a year to Sweden to be with family and find inspiration for her art.