An African herdsman stands on a hill overlooking his flock. Then, he pulls out a cell phone and completes a deal to sell off a couple of sheep to a buyer in the next village. Wait, back up. Thinking about new technology use is where African Development Foundation CIO Larry Bevan comes in. "As a micro agency, we face similar challenges with less resources than the larger agencies and departments," says Larry, whose big project these days, after finishing off the last bit of USADF's information security audit, is installing a VoIP phone system connecting the agency's Washington offices to those in 20 African nations.
Niger RPCV Larry Bevan is installing a VoIP phone system connecting the agency's Washington offices to those in 20 African nations
In To Africa
Picture this scene, one that has remained unchanged for thousands of years: An African herdsman stands on a hill overlooking his flock. Then, he pulls out a cell phone and completes a deal to sell off a couple of sheep to a buyer in the next village. Wait, back up. Thinking about new technology use is where African Development Foundation CIO Larry Bevan comes in. "As a micro agency, we face similar challenges with less resources than the larger agencies and departments," says Larry, whose big project these days, after finishing off the last bit of USADF's information security audit, is installing a VoIP phone system connecting the agency's Washington offices to those in 20 African nations.
Larry, a Kansas City-native, joined the Peace Corps after grad school, serving in Niger. "I can still remember riding my moped on goat paths going from village to village, visiting ag co-ops," he says. He joined USADF in ‘03 after stops at the Corporation for National Service, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, and Booz Allen. USADF provides direct grants to small enterprises, helping to support growth in the most marginalized African nations. Unfortunately, Larry's family doesn't count as a loan-eligible small enterprise, even though his two daughters recently graduated from college and high school; also, we hear he's quite the boater, plying the waters of the Chesapeake whenever he can.
