Lisa Chiles was sworn-in on Thursday as the new Director of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) mission in Pakistan.
The swearing-in was performed by the USAID Administrator, Andrew S. Natsios, at a formal ceremony.
Chiles would be responsible for managing a program worth nearly $275 million in fiscal year 2004.
An official announcement issued on Thursday says USAID's Pakistan program consists of activities in a wide range of areas such as primary education, healthcare, private enterprise development, good governance and economic reform.
Currently, 48 million rural and urban Pakistanis comprising nearly one-third of the country's population, live in the poverty line.
Addressing their needs was one of the most important factors in maintaining economic and political stability in Pakistan.
The Administrator Natsios stated that Lisa Chiles had extensive field experience from Bangladesh, the Philippines, Sri Lanka end Indonesia and her extraordinary skills and achievements had prepared her well for the challenges she would face in Pakistan.
Chiles received her bachelor's degree from Salem College, law degree from Emory University School of Law, and a master's degree in international and comparative law from Vine University in Brussels, Belgium.