Janet Ballantyne is currently a Senior Advisor at USAID.  Previously, she was the Group Vice President for International Development at Abt Associates, Inc. Prior to this position, she served as counselor and acting deputy administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). She was previously professor of National Strategic Policy Studies at the National War College. From 1996-1999, she was the USAID mission director for Russia. Ms. Ballantyne holds the rank of career minister in the Senior Foreign Service. She has been senior deputy administrator for USAID’s Bureau Policy and Program Coordinator (1995-1996); deputy assistant administrator and director, Center for Economic Growth (1994-1995); mission director for Nicaragua (1990-1994); and deputy director for USAID missions in Morocco and Nepal. She has also served in Peru, India, and Chile. She speaks fluent Spanish and is qualified in French and Russian. She holds numerous awards from USAID, including three Presidential-rank awards, and has been honored by several foreign governments for her work on development issues. She was decorated with a Department of Defense medal for Distinguished Civilian Service. Ms. Ballantyne holds a B.A. from Cornell University; a M.P.A. from Syracuse University, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs; and a Ph. D. in International Development from the Cornell University School of Management.