BRIAN ATWOOD is a prominent figure in the US Foreign Service, where he has served since 1966. He joined the State Department in 1972, first as legislative assistant for foreign policy and defense and later as assistant secretary of state in 1979. He became Dean of Professional Studies and Academic Affairs at the Foreign Service Institute in 1981. Between 1993 and 1999, Brian Atwood served as administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and directed the implementation of the United States’ policy of economic and humanitarian relief. Mr. Atwood is currently Executive Vice President of Citizens Energy Corporation and Director of Citizens International, a new enterprise that offers private-sector development assistance to developing nations. He is also Lecturer in Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.