When USAID closed, development professionals turned to Pivot with Purpose

When the closure of USAID displaced more than 20,000 American professionals across the international development sector, many found themselves confronting an uncertain future. Careers built over decades were suddenly disrupted, leaving experienced practitioners searching for new opportunities while grappling with the loss of institutions and programs that had defined their professional lives.

In response to the crisis, the School of Foreign Service (SFS), with financial support from The Rockefeller Foundation, launched Pivot with Purpose—a career-transition initiative designed by and for development professionals. From June 2025 through April 2026, the program connected displaced workers with practical career resources, professional coaching and a network of peers navigating similar challenges.

As the initiative concludes its grant-funded phase, its impact offers a glimpse into how the development community has adapted to one of the most significant disruptions in its history. While many participants have successfully charted new career paths, the sector continues to face profound uncertainty. At the same time, numerous professionals remain in transition, actively searching for new pathways.

SFS Professor Steven Radelet, Donald F. McHenry Chair in Global Human Development, co-led Pivot with Purpose at Georgetown with the support of the SFS Career Center. In addition to nurturing an extensive community of support and building up career skills, he believes the biggest impact of the initiative was the way it “opened up new possibilities” for the impacted professionals. 

“It helped people recognize that the skills they had built in their international development career could be used in many ways in which they might not have previously considered, whether it be state and local governments, private business, impact investing, management consulting, foundations, investment or other options,” Radelet says.

Career support at a critical moment

Through Pivot with Purpose, the SFS Career Center expanded its scope by offering its transition resources to any international development professional affected by the crisis, not just Georgetown students and alumni.

The program provided diverse resources, including career advisor-led workshops on job-seeking skills and panel discussions with experts who successfully transitioned sectors. To supplement these public seminars, the initiative offered personalized individual and group coaching focused on practical, community-based guidance. Participants also accessed curated job boards, specialized coursework and a directory of supportive organizations.

“The fact that Georgetown was able to both quickly secure funding and leverage those resources to help anyone impacted by the executive orders—not just the Georgetown community—was remarkable,” says Laura Sheehan, associate director of graduate career coaching at the SFS Career Center.

Sheehan contributed to the initiative by providing professional coaching and facilitating several webinars focused on job-hunting strategies, including resume development and cover letter writing.

She describes her involvement as a new high point in her 20-year career: “When resources were scarce, I was so proud to be part of a team whose sole goal was to share our time, talent and funding to help as many people as possible.”

A community amid uncertainty

Beyond providing practical resources, Pivot with Purpose offered participants a vital sense of community. For Putra Kusdarman (GHD’22), an alumnus of the SFS Master of Global Human Development Program, the initiative served as a crucial space for solidarity during a period of widespread professional displacement. 

“Following the 2025 [USAID] shutdown, so many of us were scrambling and isolated. Pivot with Purpose gave us a platform to come together, lean on one another and build a true community,” Kusdarman reflects.

Kusdarman’s international development career started as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia. While a student in the GHD program, he focused on climate change and sustainability. He later managed USAID-funded economic development projects at Palladium and Cadmus Group, working in the Asia-Pacific region when the 2025 shutdown occurred.

Kusdarman not only used Pivot with Purpose’s resources but also helped shape them, moderating two webinars for fellow participants. These sessions focused on transitioning into higher education and exploring corporate responsibility, human rights, and sustainability in the private sector. Through these engagements, he was able to reflect on his career shift while providing a space for others to learn and interact with one another as they navigate through their career pivots.

After a year-long search that took him through multiple sectors, he joined Visa’s social impact and sustainability unit.

“Getting here wasn’t a straight line. My pivot strategy went through several iterations,” Kusdarman says.

Carrying out the mission through new paths

Pivot with Purpose participant Adriana Abreu-Combs also found solace in this community. “Beyond the practical resources, I think the initiative helped many professionals regain confidence, share opportunities and navigate an incredibly difficult transition period together.”

With over 24 years in international development and 15 years leading donor projects, Abreu-Combs was directing a USAID program in El Salvador serving eight countries when the 2025 shutdown occurred. Like many peers in the sector, she was directly impacted by these closures.

“The closure was not just professional disruption—for many of us, it felt deeply personal because this work is tied so closely to our sense of purpose,” she says.

Abreu-Combs first heard about Pivot with Purpose through a Devex article and from a colleague who was also participating. She joined early and remained actively engaged throughout most of 2025. The experience helped her feel seen and less alone during a period of profound uncertainty.

“My goal was not to leave the sector, but to adapt within it,” she says.

Drawing on her background with the Australia Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)-funded initiatives, Abreu-Combs prioritized pivoting toward alternative donors to maintain her leadership in international development. While the shift was not instantaneous, her persistence and networking throughout a volatile period eventually paid off. She ultimately secured a short-term leadership position on a DFAT-funded program in Asia and continues to pursue follow-on assignments in the region. 

“I learned that resilience in this sector sometimes means finding new pathways to continue doing the work you care about,” Abreu-Combs says.

The work continues

While the international development landscape has shifted dramatically, the global challenges that motivated many participants remain. Climate change, humanitarian crises, migration, democratic backsliding and conflict continue to create demand for professionals who can work across sectors to solve complex problems.

SFS’s Master of Global Human Development (GHD) program is committed to training the next generation of professionals to advance equitable global development. Radelet, who directed the program from 2014 to 2025, notes that the program equips students with the analytical, quantitative, design, evaluation, financial, writing and organizational skills necessary to thrive across a wide range of environments.

“Now more than ever, we need professionals that are committed to fighting global poverty, improving health and education, creating opportunities for marginalized people, building businesses that both create jobs and help solve problems and reformulating global organizations and institutions to better solve today’s major problems,” he says.