Generating Development in the Face of Conflict
Part of Careers in Development
In this Careers in Development session, Kate Almquist Knopf will discuss the nexus of international security and development. Ms. Knopf will address the problems she sees with the current convention that weak, underdeveloped states are national security threats. Her extensive experience in development organizations coupled with her knowledge of Sudan and South Sudan will make for a stimulating conversation on the idea that obtaining security is necessary before state infrastructure can develop. Ms. Knopf will speak to these experiences and discuss her take on the military’s role in development. She will also offer advice for young people entering the field of international development today.
Ms. Knopf has over 19 years of public-sector and NGO experience in development and peace building, including eight years as a senior executive at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and seven years at World Vision. As an expert in African affairs, she served as the first mission director to Sudan and South Sudan following the re-opening of the USAID mission. Subsequently she headed USAID’s Africa Bureau. Ms. Knopf serves as adjunct faculty at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University and was the inaugural visiting policy fellow at the Center for Global Development. She has authored articles on U.S.-Africa policy, particularly with respect to Sudan and South Sudan, as well as on the overlap of security and development in U.S. foreign assistance.
A light breakfast will be available.
Please RSVP to USLD@csis.org.
Join the conversation @CSIS_USLD.
“Careers in Development” is a monthly series featuring U.S. senior-level government, multi-lateral and NGO officials who have worked in the field of development for at least twenty years. The series is aimed at young professionals who are interested in working in development and features speakers from a range of expertise, including humanitarian assistance, national security, and sector issues such as food security, health, and education. Through a roundtable discussion, each speaker offers remarks on their area of interest as well as their career path and influences along the way.
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