|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
  |
 |
  |
This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
Don Pressley
August 3, 1999
Oath of Office Remarks
Thank you, Hattie and Brady, for those wonderful introductions. And Brady, let me say too - welcome to the USAID family.
As I look out across this room today, and see before me my family, friends, and coworkers, I am reminded of the many experiences I have had and the lessons I’ve learned along the way - most of them, thankfully, very happy ones. Thank you, all of you, for sharing them with me.
But there are a few people to whom I should give special thanks:
Of course, President Clinton, the First Lady, and her marvelous staff, and Brian Atwood, who trusted me enough to nominate me for this office;
My parents - my father is here with us - for setting the examples, opening the doors, and creating the vistas that allowed me to go from small town South Carolina to such far-flung places as Islamabad, Cairo, Warsaw and even to the true hardship post…Washington, D.C.!
I want to thank the AID, State, and Congressional colleagues who saw in me potential and gave me the chance to prove it. There are many people in this category - far too many for me to name, but they know who they are, and I hope they also know how grateful I am. Let me just note that Carol Adelman brought me back to AID, that Tom Dine left me acting in his place & that Carlos Pascual gave me his chance to be standing here before you. (Now that’s a friend!)
I also want to thank the people, officials, leaders and representatives of the countries I’ve worked with over the years, who have welcomed USAID’s role in supporting growth, transition, and development in their individual countries. I am extremely pleased to have so many representatives from the Embassies of Europe and Eurasia here with me today.
And finally, and most importantly, I want to thank my darling wife Sherry, who is also here with me today, for sharing her life with me and sacrificing so much for the nomadic voyage of a foreign service officer. Sherry has been my best friend, my love, and my steadfast support since we were 15 years old - and it just keeps getting better. Sherry, thank you. (I also want to acknowledge my pride in two wonderful children, Che’ and Jim, who’ve made our lives richer and who are such an important part of our shared experiences.)
You know, just after the Senate confirmed me as Assistant Administrator, Brian Atwood took me aside and said, "Well, Don. Now you’ve really got a chance to screw up." I was, needless to say, touched by his concern.
But of course Brian was right. I have found that this job has given me and will give me plenty of chances to make lots of mistakes - on three different continents, no less. It turns out that this whole transition thing is a lot more complicated than we first thought. But I don’t want anyone to worry. I’ve got great staff - and they’ve taught me how to delegate!
But seriously, helping countries ease their way through the transition is difficult - and I’m bound to make a few mistakes, because, as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
And I want to experiment a bit - to ensure that our work has the greatest possible impact. If that means pushing the envelope, taking a chance, or changing the way we do business, then that’s what we will do.
I want to join Secretary Albright, Ambassador Marc Grossman and Ambassador Steve Sestanovich and other foreign policy colleagues to help the relationships between the United States and the countries of our region mature and grow. The ENI countries will soon complete their transition and become our partners and allies on the world stage, and our relationships should reflect this.
And I want to continue to shape the ENI bureau into a well-managed, efficient operation. I must stop here for a moment and say that we have been working hard these past few years to become a leaner, more efficient, and more effective organization, and the grace with which the ENI family has handled these pressures has been an inspiration to behold.
But you know, like seeing the glass half empty or half full, if I’ve got a chance to make mistakes then I’ve also got a real shot to do some good. And that’s really what makes USAID such a marvelous place to work - we say we want to make the world a better place, and we truly have the chance to do so.
I can say that, working together, we have all achieved something special over the past ten years. Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary are today members of NATO. Kyrgyzstan is a member of the World Trade Organization. Slovakia and Romania have made significant democratic reforms. And on and on. Despite the hardships of war and economic strife, the success stories in our part of the world are many and they are real.
But I know it comes as no surprise to this audience when I say we have a lot more work to do.
You know, former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller once said "Wherever we look upon this earth, the opportunities take shape within the problems."
And certainly there are no shortage of problems in the ENI region. Our challenge, as development professionals, implementers, and leaders is to look beyond the surface and see the opportunity.
USAID has a vital role to play in ensuring that the emerging democracies of the ENI region reach their full potential in the global community of democratic marketplaces of the future. I have said it before, let me say it again - this is a very uncertain time for this region. If America is committed - as we say we are - to ensuring that democracy takes hold in the former Soviet bloc then the time to act is now. We can’t afford to wait for another war, or an outbreak of disease, or terrorism. We need to move from transition to partnership, and, working with each constituency that you here represent, USAID can help achieve this extremely important goal.
A new century stands before us - one that promises to be even more exciting than the one we are leaving behind. With your help, I pledge to make the most of the opportunities we have to make a difference in that part of the world we call ours.
Well, let me stop preaching to the choir and say this:
I have been with USAID for 25 years, in one capacity or another. I have made some wonderful friends (and, I suspect, some persistent enemies), met leaders that inspired me with their vision, and people that moved me with their stories. I have seen the ravages of conflict and the benefits of trust. It’s been quite a ride.
But thankfully, for me, it’s not yet over. I am both honored and humbled to stand before you today as the newest Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Europe and the New Independent States.
Thank you.
This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
 |
|||
Last Updated on: July 12, 2001 |
