Dr. Hill Appointed Assistant Administrator for Global Health

Dr. Kent R. Hill was sworn in on November 2, 2005, as Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Global Health, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Hill had served as acting Assistant Administrator from January 21, 2005, until his confirmation by the Senate on October 7. USAID is the government agency that administers economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide.

From November 2001 to October 2005, Hill served as Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia at USAID.

As Assistant Administrator for the Bureau of Global Health, Hill is responsible for a Bureau that in 2005 managed or comanaged health programs all over the world with funding of more than $1.6 billion. The Bureau seeks to provide global leadership in the effort to improve the quality, availability, and use of essential health services. USAID focuses its efforts on HIV/AIDS, avian influenza, other infectious diseases (such as tuberculosis and malaria), maternal and child health, family planning, environmental health, and nutrition.

Before coming to USAID, Hill served as president of Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Mass., from 1992 to 2001. From 1986 to 1992, he was president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington, D.C. He taught European and Russian history at Seattle Pacific University from 1980 to 1986.

A graduate of Northwest Nazarene College in Nampa, Idaho, Hill has a master’s degree in Russian studies and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Washington in Seattle. He has published books, articles, and reviews on human rights, intellectual history, international development, and matters related to religion in the former Soviet Union.

Hill has been a guest speaker on many college and university campuses and at numerous academic and public policy conferences. He is a noted expert on democracy, international development policy, human rights, and international religious freedom issues. He has also been an active participant in dialogue between Catholics, Evangelical Protestants, Orthodox, and other religious groups.

A native of Nampa, Idaho, Hill and his wife Janice live in Fairfax, Virginia.