Mission Director
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E-mailJatinder K. Cheema
USAID/Armenia warmly welcomes Dr. Jatinder Cheema back to Armenia as Mission Director! In this capacity, Dr. Cheema will oversee the Mission’s project portfolio of approximately $40 million annually in support of democracy and governance reform, economic development, health and social reform, sustainable energy and water resources.
A Senior Foreign Service officer, Dr. Cheema has served for over twenty years at USAID. Her most recent post was as the Senior Policy Advisor to USAID/Afghanistan where she served from April 2008 till April 2009. As Mission’s senior policy advisor she was instrumental in developing and guiding the implementation of one of our largest USAID programs. Before Afghanistan, Dr. Cheema served as the Regional Mission Director for USAID West Africa Mission from 2005-2007, managing programs and staff in agriculture, economic growth, energy and infrastructure and health for 21 countries. Prior to that, she was USAID’s Mission Director for Eritrea from 2002-2005. From 1999-2002, she served as USAID Deputy Director in Armenia.
In addition, Dr. Cheema served as Supervisory General Development Officer for the Central Asia Republic mission from 1995-1999; USAID Representative and Health Population Officer for the mission in Burkina Faso from 1991-1995; and health specialist for the mission in Bangladesh from 1990-1991. Dr. Cheema was the chief of party for a regional operations project in Bangladesh sponsored by the University Research Organization from 1986-1990. She consulted for the World Bank, UNICEF and USAID from 1981-1986.
Cheema holds a Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, a master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Michigan, and a master’s degree from the University of New Delhi in India.
A native of Virginia, Dr. Cheema has working knowledge of French and Russian and is fluent in Hindi and Punjabi. She is a passionate tennis player and avid reader, and loves to learn how to play various musical instruments.
