Distinguished Alumni Award Winner Profile

Jay Daniliuk (99BBA) is at the forefront of the U.S. government's efforts to fight poverty and hunger in Africa. In his current position as private sector advisor in the Bureau for Food Security at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Daniliuk is working to make sure famine is a thing of the past.

Daniliuk's seven years at the USAID build upon a series of distinguished positions in the private, public, and international sectors. After a successful career in advertising, he took the unusual step of giving up his career on Madison Avenue to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo, a tiny country in West Africa.

This experience changed his personal goals. After completing a master's degree in foreign service at Georgetown University, Daniliuk moved into a career in the federal government with a specific bent toward agencies who serve developing nations. In his current role, he travels the world to help build and maintain partnerships related to food production and distribution.

The work has taken Daniliuk to more than 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, and he has been recognized for its creativity and impact by the U.S. government, foreign donors, and international nonprofit organizations.

"Jay's journey is still unfolding," says Kristi Ragan, DAI Chief of Party for the USAID Invest Project. "His commitment to service will continue to make a difference for the invisible poor whose voices we don't hear on a daily basis."