May 21, 2026

#40 - Paul E. White (Part 1)

Show Notes

Paul E. White's stories cannot be contained in a single episode. In fact, this is the first of a two-part episode in which neither progresses past his very first assignment, in Laos in the 1960s. From there, he went on to become a legend in the USAID ranks--and it's easy to see why. In this episode, we meet Paul as a brand new International Voluntary Services teacher doing development work in the middle of a hot war zone.

Paul E. White served in senior roles within U.S. foreign assistance programs for nearly four decades, across Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. He led refugee programs, multi-sector development initiatives, and high-level policy coordination. He was the senior U.S. development official at the U.S. embassies in Mexico City and Tokyo. His long career with USAID also included positions in Laos, Korea, Cambodia, Thailand, Panama, Peru, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. He served as USAID’s Chief of Education and Training and of Energy and Environment for Latin America, and later as the USAID Director for East Asian and South Asian Affairs. He began his long overseas career in Laos with the International Voluntary Service as an English language teacher.

To learn more about Paul’s story, you can read his oral history at the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training website. He has also written a book, Not Far From the Tree: Vignettes From Lives Well Lived.