They Advanced American Values Abroad. Now They're Fighting for Them at Home.
Allison Eriksen, Alicia Contreras-Donello, and Tracy Starr, three former USAID officers, are running for office to bring justice, dignity, and opportunity back to the American people.
When the Trump Administration dismantled USAID and terminated the majority of its staff, thousands of development professionals were left to reimagine their careers. This week, GDI Insights profiles three former USAID employees who chose to bring their leadership skills and commitment to public service into the political arena.
Allison Eriksen
A former Senior Humanitarian Assistance Officer with USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. She began her public service career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania. At USAID, she worked her way up from an entry-level Program Assistant and eventually managed programs in South Asia, Syria, and Ukraine. She is running for Montgomery County Council District 3 in Maryland.
I am a Unitarian Universalist, a faith which believes that the world can be a better place, if only we put in the work to make it so. This belief is core to my professional path and the reason I joined USAID. When flooding in 2022 covered one-third of Pakistan in water, I was part of the USAID response to help people to recover after their homes, their livelihoods, and even members of their community were literally washed away. Pakistan does not have a history of extremely friendly diplomatic relations with the U.S. But in response to the worst flooding in the country’s history, Pakistan received aid clearly marked “From the American People.” I think that is the most powerful thing about disaster aid: that complete strangers give what they can without asking for anything in return. It builds a bond between people — a recognition of our common humanity. That’s what makes the world a better place.
The U.S. lost so much when USAID was closed: soft power, diplomacy, and that recognition of common humanity. I lost my sense of purpose. I felt thrown into a world where the principles that I dedicated my life to not only did not matter, but were framed by those in power as subversive, dangerous. They thought that if they threw us out, we couldn’t point out their selfish actions. They thought that if we were more worried about taking care of ourselves, we would be silent. They didn’t know us at all.
That’s when it’s time to be louder than ever.
I started my campaign for Montgomery County Council District 3 in Maryland because I had to hope that there was some way to continue my life’s work of helping others and working with them to create new opportunities for a better world. So many people in my district are out of work, struggling, and looking for a voice to amplify their interests. I saw that my community needed hope, and that it needed, more than ever, someone who knew how to help.
Alicia Contreras-Donello
A former U.S. Diplomat/Foreign Service Officer with USAID. For almost two decades, she implemented U.S. government policy, managed complex development programs, and advanced humanitarian and economic development initiatives across Afghanistan, El Salvador, Libya, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Washington, D.C. She is running for Maryland Delegate to the General Assembly to represent District 14.
I was raised in Aurora, Illinois, by immigrant parents who worked exhausting hours in factories, fields, and cleaning jobs, yet never lost faith in a better future for their children. Growing up in a community facing violence and poverty, then working with USAID in similar communities, I saw firsthand how education, access to healthcare, food assistance, and community institutions can change the trajectory of a life. That experience shaped my belief that the government can and should be a force for good.
When I served in Afghanistan with USAID, I was responsible for overseeing the delivery of nearly $300 million in humanitarian assistance to some of the most vulnerable communities, especially children. This wasn’t abstract policy work; it was deeply human. I visited refugee camps and tent communities where families were living in the most difficult conditions imaginable, and where our support was often the difference between life and death. I met parents who told me, again and again, how grateful they were not just for the aid itself, but for what it represented. They were grateful to the American people because, without that help, their children might not have survived. Because of that assistance, their children had a chance to live, to grow, and to hope for a better future. That experience reinforced a simple but powerful truth: our collective compassion can serve a higher purpose — to save lives and create the conditions for people not just to survive, but to thrive. That is what humanity is about. That is the impact of public service at its best. Through USAID, we didn’t just deliver resources, we strengthened communities, restored dignity, and helped build the foundation for a more stable and hopeful future.
That same belief is what drives my campaign for Delegate — that government can be a force for good and a partner in people’s success.
When USAID was abruptly dismantled and my career and livelihood were stripped away, I felt a deep sense of loss — but also renewed determination. I could not stand by and watch my country backslide on the values I had spent my career advancing abroad. My “why” remains the same: to serve others and fight for justice, dignity, and opportunity. Now, instead of focusing my efforts overseas, I am committed to channeling my experience and passion into strengthening my own community. Public service, for me, is not just a career. It is a calling to honor those who once lifted me up, by dedicating my life to uplifting others and paying it forward
Tracy Starr
A former Crisis Operations Officer with USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. She was hired to work on disaster and crisis response teams across Africa. Tracy was at the agency for only four weeks when DOGE dismantled the agency. She is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in District 5 in Maryland.
I have lived my whole life in service to others because I watched my mother show me how. She was a single parent of three, working 96 hours a week so her children could have more than she did. On her days off, she took us to food banks, soup kitchens, and community events, giving what little time she had left to people who needed it. Before I ever knew the word “service,” I knew what it looked like.
When I found my way to USAID, it felt like a homecoming. Here was an agency built on a simple but profound idea: that the U.S. could be a force for good in the world’s darkest moments. We ran towards disaster, not away, because people needed help. The day I took my oath of office was one of the proudest of my life. Public service is not a job. It is a calling.
And so, when USAID was dismantled, I cried. I had spent years working toward this point in my career. When I read my termination notice, I did not just see the end of a job, I saw decades of work erased in an instant by a very small number of people who did not ask how to make it better.
USAID was present when earthquakes tore communities apart, when children were dying from preventable diseases, when women fled their homes with nothing but hope for survival. We showed up. That is what the U.S. meant to much of the world — not just power, but a genuine willingness to show up. That reputation took generations to build. It was dismantled in weeks. Despite any claims, USAID wasn’t replaced by efficiency. It just disappeared. And the people who were counting on us did not get a say in that either.
I still believe in this country. My district deserves a representative who understands what it truly means to serve. I hear from people every day who feel like Congress has stopped listening. They are not wrong. But I also know the answer is not despair — it is new voices, grounded in real life, willing to show up. This campaign is about every person here who deserves a seat at a table that has too long been held by those who have never had to worry about the things we worry about.
My mother told us to never forget where we came from, and always extend a helping hand. I am carrying that into this race.
Interested in supporting these candidates? Check them out below!
Alicia Contreras-Donello - Maryland House of Delegates District 14
📸 Instagram/TikTok: @aliciaformaryland 👍 Facebook/LinkedIn: Alicia for Maryland 🌐 Website: aliciacontrerasdonello.com
Allison Eriksen - Montgomery County Council District 3
📸 Instagram: @allisonformoco 🌐 Website: allisonformoco.com
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