In a brief interview with Maura O’Neill, Chief Innovation Officer and Senior Counselor to the Administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), we discussed the creation of her position, pioneering examples of social innovation, and the role of social entrepreneurship in international development.
Rahim Kanani: How did your position of Chief Innovation Officer for USAID come about, and why is this role so important for the future of the agency?
Maura O’Neill: When Administrator Rajiv Shah became the head of USAID, he appointed the first Chief Innovation Officer because of his focus on identifying ways to drive faster, cost-effective development results that would last. This is important because former Defense Secretary Gates said it is a lot cheaper to achieve our US Foreign policy objectives to development than having to send our military troops overseas. Innovation can help ensure that our tax payer dollars achieve the best results.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Chief Innovation Officer of USAID on Development and Social Entrepreneurship - Forbes
