The United States Embassy in Juba on Friday announced the arrival of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director for South Sudan Kate Crawford.

Former Mission Director Haven Cruz-Hubbard, who served as the head of USAID operations in South Sudan for the past two years, departed last month.

U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan Michael J. Adler officiated the swearing-in ceremony for Ms. Crawford at the U.S. Embassy in Juba on September 8.

“Ms. Crawford will oversee USAID’s operations as the largest donor to the people of South Sudan, with an assistance portfolio that includes humanitarian, health, education and youth, agriculture and food security, peacebuilding, and democracy and good governance activities, the Embassy said in a statement.

A career USAID Foreign Service Officer, Ms. Crawford has more than 30 years of experience in humanitarian and development programs and global U.S. government initiatives.  Most recently, Ms. Crawford was Director of USAID’s Office of Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition in the Bureau for Global Health, where she focused on expanding USAID’s global immunization programming and technical capacity.