Chief of Party/Policy Advisor: Judy Smith, MD, MPH
The first sentence should contain the person’s major areas of expertise and total number of years of experience. An appositive phrase is a space-saving way to describe a person, for example: Ms. Tugbobo, a registered nurse, offers 20 years of clinical and management experience in maternal, neonatal and child health care.
Example: Dr. Judy Smith brings to the project 25 years of Haitian and international experience in the leadership and management of large, complex health and development programs, and in successful collaboration with both the private and public sectors.
The remainder of the first paragraph should seek to persuade the reader that the person will offer essential expertise to the project, by spelling out the relevant fields in which they have experience. But words like “renowned” and “outstanding” are not as convincing as the facts. When it is difficult to explain how a candidate has “strategic vision” or “leadership qualities,” ask the candidate to write some text giving examples of activities that demonstrate those qualities.
Example: She has worked in public health for the past 25 years, serving with USAID (or leading USAID-financed projects) and the U.S. Public Health Service for most of her career. She is thoroughly familiar with USAID procurement, contracting, and reporting procedures and requirements. She offers:
- Substantial experience with both local and international NGOs/PVOs
- Success in developing and maintaining long-term working relationships and conducting policy dialogue with governmental decision-makers
- Demonstrated skills as a manager in complex organizations and environments, supervising as many as 20 people
- Extensive experience in decentralized health systems
The second paragraph or section should present the current or most recent position, with a brief summary of major responsibilities and a focus on achievements. The text should highlight the responsibilities and achievements that are relevant to the requirements of the RFP, perhaps by making the technical area the subject of the topic sentence and using the position as evidence of qualifications and experience in this area.
Example: She is currently a Senior Associate/Health Economist in the Center for Leadership and Management at MSH, providing technical assistance and training for improved health service planning and delivery, mainly working in Latin America.
Example: By overseeing the management and implementation of large USAID-funded projects and contracts throughout her career, Dr. Smith has become thoroughly versed in U.S. Government policies and procedures. She has negotiated, coordinated, and managed worldwide projects such as the Multi-Sector Population, Enriching Lives and PVO Networks projects. She has been directly responsible for USAID child survival and RH projects since implementing the Sector Privado y Planificación Familiar Project in Peru in 1987, and more recently, the Food Security (Title II) Project and other awards in Peru.
The rest of the person’s work experience follows in reverse chronological order (i.e., oldest last). We usually summarize the oldest positions briefly.
Example [from the first Flagship proposal]: Dr. Smith brings her experience as the Senior Medical Officer and Acting Technical Director of the BASICS project to this role. She is also a member of the project management committee. Her work over the past several years has focused on the relationship between the public and private sectors in developing a stable basis for health service delivery systems. She has also participated in the working group on integrated case management which, among other goals, works to increase efficiency of and access to child health services through integration of program efforts. Dr. Smith was previously the Technical Director of the PRITECH (Technologies for Primary Health Care) Project, which provided technical assistance to national programs to control diarrheal disease in 30 developing countries. Her capacity for leadership is well established [this statement needs the support of at least one example] and the Partnership is pleased to propose her to continue in the central role that she has played in developing strategies to broaden the base for sustainable service delivery.
The last paragraph, section or sentence deals with the person’s degrees (above the BA/BS, unless that is the highest degree they hold) and foreign-language capabilities (only as relevant).
Example: Dr. Smith earned a Doctorate and a Master’s degree in Health Services Administration from the Harvard School of Public Health. She earned her MD at the University of Helsinki. She is bilingual in English and Finnish, and speaks Spanish and some French.
Selected publications may be mentioned when there is space and when they are relevant to the technical areas of the proposal.
Example: Her publications include Private Health Sector Growth in Asia: Issues and Implications (Wiley & Sons) and a monograph on decentralization coauthored with Riitta-Liisa Kolehmainen-Aitken. He also coauthored Modelling in Health Care Finance: A Compendium of Quantitative Technique for Health Care Financing (International Labour Organisation).
