Sidney Velado Email & Phone Number

Fairfax, Virginia, Us

• Provides overall leadership and strategic direction for the R-LEAD program. • Acts as USAID's primary point of contact, ensuring effective communication and coordination among all stakeholders. • Oversees research and analysis efforts, guides evidence-based policy development, and manages complex projects that improve resilience and food security outcomes. • Collaborates with cross-functional teams, partners, and stakeholders to drive learning agendas and builds innovative solutions for global challenges. • Ensure that data insights translate into actionable strategies aligned with USAID’s mission to create sustainable, resilient communities.

• Reviewed 11 climate change adaptation research proposals for funding merits at the regional level for Latin American scholars for the University of Arizona.• Speaker at the virtual Forum titled “Success Factors for Proposal Design for Research Projects Bids for Postgraduate Studies" for the Consejo Superior Universitario Centroamericano (CSUCA).• Provided technical support to the University of Arizona to design the Global Fund for Climate Adaptation Research for Disaster Risk Reduction from conception to submission. This multimillion-dollar project is in the USAID BHA award pipeline for FY2023 approval. (1/23 and 4/23)• Drafted two Concept Notes for an International NGO for projects in Guatemala and Bangladesh at the intersection of climate change adaptation and development.

Personal Sabbatical

Arlington, Virginia, Us

Led Cadmus’ international disaster preparedness and response team which focused on solving the world’s most challenging problems related to natural hazards and extreme events impacting people, property, and organizations. Worked in multidisciplinary teams to provide solutions to climate change, striving to make projects sustainable, and people resilient. Served national governments, multilateral agencies and bilateral development agencies in disaster preparedness and response, climate change impact analysis, adaptation, and resilience.

Us

Leveraging my extensive professional experience, provided strategic leadership in the implementation of USAID/OFDA's Regional Disaster Assistance Program in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC). Empowered staff to become facilitators in building national capacity for disaster risk reduction and response via technical assistance and training for 27 countries across LAC. The Regional Advisor role called on me to go on Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs) deployments to locations experiencing disasters or humanitarian crisis. Worked closely with intergovernmental, governmental, and non-governmental agencies to bolster disaster risk reduction and devise disaster response plans to save lives and prevent loses.Key Contributions:● Spearheaded realignment of Regional Disaster Assistance Program in 27 countries; created strategic products and road maps to monitor and measure progress toward results.● Traveled to Turkey and responsibly managed $45M in humanitarian aid for internally displaced persons from Syrian civil war (2016).● Successfully executed 40+ disaster response deployments in 25 countries across three continents to provide humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations.● Coached and mentored consultants and technical experts to become program managers within base countries.- Trained individuals to develop strategic plans and use data-driven decision making.● Governed design, organization, and execution of five regional events each year to share actionable intelligence and empower team members in areas including livelihoods, resilience, leadership, gender in DM, protection, and program developments.● Adeptly served as representative for USAID/OFDA during +80 regional and global events; liaised with host government authorities regarding concerns and specific needs to strengthen disaster response operations.● Oversaw delivery of $94M in assistance to strategic partners working to prevent spread of Ebola virus in Sierra Leona in 2015.

London, Gb

During my time with World Vision International, I facilitated the design and implementation of a strategic plan to ensure regional food security for LAC. It was up to me to support and train the staff of our international offices on food security programming. Fostered and maintained strong relationships with USAID's Office of FFP and multilateral agencies, including the World Food Program. I also established and strengthened the capacity of each local team to manage food security and emergency response projects.Key contributions:● Played a key role in conceptualizing a binational pilot project for Honduras and Guatemala aimed at forecasting the shift from chronic to acute malnutrition through the application of innovative tools. Household variables were searched for to correlate them with the change in nutritional status.● Advocated the design of the Central American Drought Response Framework in collaboration with the emergency managers of the Central American national offices, while developing the food security capacity in the national offices of Bolivia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua.

M.S., International Agricultural Development

B.S., International Agriculture