Christie Vilsack
Christie Vilsack, the former Iowa first lady who ran unsuccessfully against Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, and who is the wife of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, has gone to work at the U.S. Agency for International Development.

“I am pleased to welcome Christie Vilsack to USAID as the new senior adviser for international education,” USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah wrote in a memo to staff on March 22.

“In this role, Mrs. Vilsack will work to fulfill the objectives of the agency’s education strategy by expanding outreach to domestic and global education partners, and strengthening the agency’s relationships with key education stakeholders including universities, faith-based organizations, private sector actors, and non-traditional partners,” Shah said.

“Mrs. Vilsack will also support USAID’s donor and multilateral engagement, particularly with the Global Partnership for Education and the United Nations Secretary General’s Global Education First Initiative.”

In Iowa, Christie Vilsack was a teacher at the middle school and high school levels in Mount Pleasant, her home town to which the Vilsacks moved after meeting in college in New York state.

“As first lady, she promoted early childhood education and also built successful partnerships with the Verizon Foundation and the National Center for Family Literacy to improve education for children in the state of Iowa and throughout the nation,” Shah noted.

She graduated from Kirkland College and received a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Iowa in 1992.

Vilsack sent the following message to a supporter of her campaign for the House:

“I wanted to reach out and share with you the exciting news that I have joined USAID (United States Agency for International Development) as their senior adviser on international education.

“This dream job will let me combine my experience as an educator, and my passion for literacy and education to support USAID’s Education Strategy which focuses on three specific goals in 51 countries:

1. Improving 100 million children's reading skills,
2. Strengthening youth & workforce development, and
3. Providing equitable access to education in crisis and conflict settings for over 15 million students

“I hope to contribute by expanding USAID’s outreach to education partners, the private sector, universities, foundations, faith-based organizations, and to convince non-traditional partners and individuals to become education champions! I will participate in international donor and multi-lateral engagement including the Global Partnership for Education and the UN’s Global Education First Initiative.

“I am busy getting up to speed on all of USAID’s amazing work around the world and I am excited to be traveling soon to many of our regions to see the work first-hand. I promise to stay in touch and keep you updated on all of my adventures and everything we are doing to ensure that education continues to change lives around the world.”

The Hagstrom Report obtained copies of Shah’s announcement and Vilsack’s letter to her supporter, which was sent through her House campaign email.