Title: Former Deputy Mission Director for India
Company: U.S. Agency for International Development
Location: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Alexandria Isabel Huerta, PhD, Former Deputy Mission Director for India at the U.S. Agency for International Development, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements and leadership in Agricultural Development.
Dr. Huerta has established herself as a notable leader in international development, with a career spanning two decades and marked by expertise in agriculture, natural resource management and energy management. Her current role as the deputy mission director for India at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), since 2023, places her at the forefront of overseeing all mission operations. In this capacity, Dr. Huerta manages contracting, finance, human resources and performance standards while ensuring compliance with federal law and evolving administrative policies. She is also responsible for addressing human resources matters, briefing congressional delegations and representing the agency at trade forums. Additionally, Dr. Huerta mentors junior officers and middle management, participates in several working groups as the representative and performs representational duties in the absence of her mission director or supervisor.
Affiliated with USAID for more than 15 years, Dr. Huerta was a senior development advisor for Fiji from 2020 to 2021. Her work focused on developing the organization’s regional presence. Earlier, she held the position of country officer director in Laos. Tasked with establishing the Laos country office amid a challenging diplomatic environment between Laos and the U.S. government, she approached this responsibility with humility and discretion, qualities not typically associated with federal government operations abroad. Through her efforts, Dr. Huerta successfully navigated operational complexities, secured essential support from local authorities and built strong relationships with various line ministries involved in the process.
In Afghanistan, Dr. Huerta worked as a monitoring and evaluation specialist for the USAID. Her earlier assignments included supervisory program officer in Barbados, program officer in Afghanistan, program officer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and program officer at agency headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Apart from her work with USAID, Dr. Huerta was an assistant professor at the School of National Security and Resource Strategy in Washington, D.C., from 2021 to 2023. In this academic role, she contributed to the education of senior U.S. military, civilian and interagency leaders by designing and teaching graduate courses in national security strategy, development policy and international economics.
Dr. Huerta also gained valuable experience as an international program and technical specialist at World Vision in Seattle, Washington, the largest child-focused private charity in the world, from 2007 to 2008. She also gained experience as an international consultant with ACDI/VOCA in Serbia, an economic development organization based in Washington, D.C., in 2005.
Dr. Huerta’s academic foundation includes a Bachelor of Science in agricultural communications from the University of Georgia, a Master of Science in agricultural economics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, completed in 2001, and a Doctor of Philosophy in agricultural development from Purdue University in 2005. Beyond her education, her professional journey has been complemented by active membership in several industry-related organizations, including the American Agricultural Economics Association, the American Association for Agricultural Education and the American Dairy Science Association.
Developing a commitment to humanitarian service early on, Dr. Huerta became an agriculture specialist with the U.S. Peace Corps in Mali in 1994 and a volunteer leader in Mozambique in 1998. These formative experiences inspired her enduring dedication to making a meaningful difference through humanitarian assistance and development.
In recognition of her outstanding contributions to international development and interagency collaboration, Dr. Huerta received the Joint Civilian Commendation Medal from the Department of Defense in 2025. She attributes her success to empathy and openness, qualities she instills within her teams by fostering transparent communication about motivations behind actions taken within their work environment.
Dr. Huerta remains dedicated to continuing her impactful work at the U.S. Agency for International Development while seeking opportunities with organizations that advocate for marginalized populations, including those who are homeless or part of immigrant communities or women’s groups, ensuring support for individuals who may feel powerless or lack access to necessary resources.
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