Fatema Z. Sumar

VP, Department of Compact Operations at the Millennium Challenge Corporation | United States

Leveraging her expertise in international development, foreign policy, diplomacy, & advocacy, Fatema Z. Sumar leads efforts to fight poverty by transforming global systems in reaching vulnerable populations. In February 2021, President Biden appointed Ms. Sumar as Vice President of the Department of Compact Operations at the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). In this role, she will oversee all compacts which are MCC’s signature grant investment vehicle to reduce poverty through economic growth. She will manage all of MCC’s technical and regional divisions working on infrastructure, the environment and climate change, the private sector, gender and social inclusion, human and community development, land and agriculture, procurement, financial management, strategic partnerships, and contracts and grant management in Africa, Asia, Central America, and Eastern Europe. She previously served as MCC’s Deputy Vice President for Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and Latin America where she managed all MCC compacts in these regions.

Prior to MCC, Ms. Sumar worked in civil society as the Vice President of Global Programs at Oxfam America where she oversaw regional development and humanitarian response to fight the injustice of poverty. She has a distinguished career in the U.S. government in both executive and legislative branches. She previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia at the U.S. Department of State where she led U.S. efforts to expand regional economic and energy connectivity. In Congress, she was a Senior Professional Staff Member on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee focused on Afghanistan, Pakistan, & the broader region and a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) at the U.S. Department of State.

Ms. Sumar sits on Advisory Boards for Princeton, Cornell, & Indiana universities. Her work has been published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, The New Republic, The Hill, & other outlets. She is a frequent guest speaker and testified before the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. Ms. Sumar graduated with a MPA from Princeton University & a BA from Cornell University. She studied abroad at the American University in Cairo. She is the proud mother of three daughters.