One of the leaders in global development, Earl Gast, has been appointed Executive Vice President for Programs of Creative Associates International, a role that will have him lead the implementation of all programs, the company announced today.
Gast, who was Senior Vice President since June 2016, will now oversee three Divisions—Education, Economic Growth and Communities in Transition—which currently have programmatic activities in more than 30 countries from Afghanistan to Honduras.
Gast spent more than two decades with the U.S. Agency for International Development. Appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, in April 2012 he was sworn in as the Assistant Administrator for USAID’s Africa Bureau, which at that time had program resources of more than $8 billion covering nearly 50 countries. After retiring from USAID, Gast was a Senior International Advisor at Covington & Burling, LLP, in Washington, D.C., where he co-led the firm’s Africa Practice.
Leland Kruvant, President and CEO of Creative, said the promotion of Gast from Senior Vice President to Executive Vice President for Programs is part of the company’s strategic plan and accommodates the organization’s growth resulting from new business.
“Earl is an exceptionally talented professional who combines unmatched development experience with superior management expertise,” says Kruvant. “Earl is well respected by our clients, partners and host governments.”
In this new role, Gast will have strategic and operational responsibility for programs, as well as building and maintaining positive relations with Creative’s current and future clients in the U.S. government, Europe and elsewhere. He will also lead Creative’s Africa and Middle East and North Africa strategies.
A successful career in global development
At Creative, Gast has led the Education Division and the Economic Growth Division, helping to refocus their efforts. Since then, the company has won new education contracts in Nigeria, Ethiopia and elsewhere.
During his tenure as USAID’s Assistant Administrator, Gast initiated new partnerships and Presidential initiatives, including Power Africa and Trade Africa, and leveraged funds from multiple global organizations to achieve greater scale and results. He also worked across U.S. government agencies and with the White House to draft the President’s Strategy for Africa.
Prior to his nomination as Assistant Administrator, Gast served as USAID’s Mission Director in Afghanistan, which was providing $4 billion in assistance to increase stability in the country.
Gast was one of the first USAID employees stationed in Iraq, where, as the mission’s deputy director from April 2003 to March 2004, he helped launch operations and manage a $2.2 billion reconstruction program in the country. After a successful tour in Iraq, he served as the USAID representative to the U.N. agencies in Rome in 2004.
From 2005 to 2008, Gast was the regional mission director for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, and from 2008 to 2010 he was named as USAID’s Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa.
Gast began his career with USAID in 1990 as a project development officer for USAID/Philippines.
He earned numerous awards and commendations for his dedicated service. Most prominently, he received USAID’s Award for Heroism in 2004 and, in 2003, the Distinguished Unit Award for his work in Iraq. Gast also received the C. Herbert Rees Award in 1999.
Gast earned a master’s degree in political science and Middle East studies in 1987 from The George Washington University.
He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maryland in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in history and criminal law. In addition to his native English, Gast speaks Russian and Arabic.