USAID Development Diplomat in Residence
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) began the Development Diplomat in Residence (DDIR) program in 2016-17 with the aim to recruit and channel talent to USAID. The program places senior foreign service officers in universities for recruitment, international careers planning, and enhancing international affairs curricula.
CSULB hosts the Development Diplomat in Residence (DDIR) for the Western United States. The DDIR is available to speak to classes and student groups, consult on international affairs in the curriculum, and advise students on careers in international development and international affairs as well as internships.
Development Diplomat in Residence: Karen Klimowski
Ms. Klimowski has more than 25 years of experience as a Senior Foreign Service Officer and has held senior leadership and health officer roles across eight countries. Most recently, she was the Deputy Mission Director for USAID in India from 2021 to 2023, and before that from 2019 to 2021, she worked to establish USAID’s Indo-Pacific Office, focusing on South Asia.
Ms. Klimowski has also served in Philippines, Uganda, Kenya, and Indonesia, championing development programming in health, education, economic empowerment, good governance, environment, and clean energy.
Before joining USAID, she worked with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta, Georgia; Zimbabwe, and Malawi. Before that she served closer to home at the OC Public Health Agency in Santa Ana and began her career in international development as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone.
Ms. Klimowski is a product of California public universities, with a Bachelor’s degree in Physiology from UC San Diego and a Master’s in Public Health from San Diego State University. She hails from Santa Cruz, California, and brings a wealth of expertise and insight, as well as an incredible energy to mentoring our students in pursuing international careers.
Prior to joining USAID, Karen worked for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Zimbabwe, and Malawi; the Orange County Health Care Agency in Santa Ana, California; and various non-governmental organizations. She started her career in development as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone, West Africa.
Ms. Klimowski can be found on LinkedIn @karenklimowski and via email: karen.klimowski@csulb.edu
