Through the experience of some who served, this course examines the US Agency for International Development, the greatest tool America ever had for doing great humanitarian good while building diplomatic goodwill. We’ll look at USAID projects as they changed lives around the world and increased America’s strategic influence. We’ll explore how taxpayer dollars spent were an investment in our security and will consider ways we might move forward following the dismantling of the agency.

Christine Sheckler’s 27-year USAID career included posts in Pakistan, Tbilisi/ Georgia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Lithuania, and Belarus. She served in Ebolaravaged Sierra Leone, wartime Iraq, and Egypt during the Arab Spring. Christine also worked in USAID’s Office of Civilian–Military Cooperation. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, she helped launch and oversaw USAID’s Civil Society programs throughout Russia and the former USSR. In earlier years, she followed her Peace Corps tour in Liberia with a four-month solo crossing of the Sahara Desert. She is co-chair of USAID Alumni Outreach and is a board member and immediate past president of World Affairs Council—San Diego.

Bee Bloeser lived in West Africa, the Middle East, and Native American nations supporting her husband’s global health work and in her own work in speech pathology. She is the author of the acclaimed historical memoir Vaccines & Bayonets: Fighting Smallpox in Africa amid Tribalism, Terror and the Cold War. This is her third VISTAS presentation.

Vistas Lifelong Learning provides intellectually stimulating courses to Santa Barbara area residents, covering topics in history, public policy, science, philosophy, and more. The organization is committed to enriching lives and fostering a vibrant community of curious minds.