Seeing the Big Picture

Mark S. Ward was the go-to guy for allocating federal aid after the Asian tsunami and the earthquake in Pakistan.

It was one of the worst natural disasters on record. On Dec. 26, 2004, an earthquake in the Indian Ocean triggered a series of tsunamis that devastated coastal areas in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India and other countries. More than 200,000 people would be reported missing or dead, and many more lost homes and jobs. As the international community prepared for a massive relief effort, the U.S. Agency for International Development turned to Mark S. Ward to lead its long-term response.

Ward, USAID senior deputy assistant administrator, knew the region well. He was a natural choice to lead this enormous endeavor. "He brings years of experience, a calm and reassuring demeanor, an incredible work ethic, and deep commitment to the issues," says Daniel F. Runde, director of USAID's Office of Global Development Alliances. So when another major disaster struck less than a year later-the October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan that killed tens of thousands and left millions homeless-Ward again took charge of USAID's recovery and reconstruction efforts.

After both disasters, the U.S. government quickly moved in to provide food, water, medical care and shelter. But in Ward's domain, speed isn't the most important element. In deciding how best to allocate hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid for the two disasters, it was critical to devise a big-picture strategy before taking on such projects as reconstructing roads and water systems, providing business loans and job training, and opening schools and health clinics.

His efforts are paying off. "The greatest sign of success in In-donesia and the thing I'm most proud of," Ward says, "is that there are now hundreds of young people building a first-class highway from Banda Aceh to Meulaboh. It kills me to go out there and see the money that hasn't been very effectively spent."

That's why he has added to his already formidable responsibilities the task of advising two private aid initiatives: the Bush-Clinton Houston Tsunami Relief Fund, spearheaded by the former presidents, and the South Asia Earthquake Relief Fund, led by executives of five large U.S. corporations. Ward toured the affected regions with the former presidents and the business leaders, and has spent countless hours advising them on how to ensure the money goes to the right places.

"We lean on him very heavily," says Mike Conway, chief of staff to Citigroup's chairman emeritus Sandy Weill. This summer, Ward helped broker a $12 million grant from the earthquake relief fund to an organization in Pakistan that is going to build schools. "The challenge was to convince the business leaders to rely on a Pakistani organization that they had never heard of," he says. "I knew from my work in Pakistan that this organization could do the kind of construction they were talking about."

Ward has since taken on a new task: guiding long-term recovery in Lebanon. He hopes to forge more public-private connections in the future. "If we know that we can't do it all, and we know there is a lot of private money that is going to go to the effort, how does the U.S. government somehow influence decision-making in a way that is not overbearing but is helpful?"