Susan Reichle is a retired Senior Foreign Service officer of USAID and former President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Youth Foundation—a global non-profit working to equip and inspire young people everywhere to transform their lives.
As former CEO, Susan has overseen the revitalization of IYF’s mission, vision, and values. As Susan guided the development and implementation of IYF’s new strategic plan—Transformation 2030—which emphasizes youth-led, integrated approaches and is framed around three objectives: Youth Agency, Economic Opportunity, and Systems Change. IYF’s continued growth has been fueled by Susan’s dedication to strong practices of measurement, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) and commitment to organizational transparency and data-driven accountability.
Before joining IYF, Susan spent 26 years in leadership positions at USAID missions overseas and in Washington, D.C. During her last three years at USAID, she served as the Counselor to the Agency, USAID’s most Senior Foreign Service Officer, and advised the Administrator and senior leadership on key global development policies and management issues. She also oversaw the Agency Coordinators for Youth, Countering Violent Extremism, and Local Solutions; spearheaded development of the agency’s first Youth in Development Policy; led the Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance bureau; and partnered with the Government of Colombia (2005-09) to design a new strategy to consolidate Colombia’s conflict zones.
Susan serves as an executive member of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN), and is the former co-chair of the Alliance for International Youth Development (AIYD). Susan is a member of the National Security Leaders for America, the American Academy for Diplomacy and several other boards and associations.
Susan holds master’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in International Development and Government Administration and a master’s degree in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University's War College where she was a distinguished graduate. She is a former adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College. She enjoys teaching and coaching lacrosse in her spare time. Susan and her husband have two adult children. While she has lived around the world, her hometown is Philadelphia, and Susan remains a staunch Eagles and Phillies fan. She is an avid social media user where she enjoys connecting with others — join her now on Twitter and LinkedIn.
