Delta Kappa Epsilon - Wesleyan University

2 Delta Kappa Epsilon T here are few jobs in the U.S. government less heralded, but more crucial to the lives of hundreds of millions of people, than managing development aid for Africa. But that isn't a problem with Eric Postel '77, the DKE who ran the Africa bureau for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) during the Ebola crisis. In the number three position at USAID, Eric was in charge of African development from 2014- 15, when he created, staffed, and supervised the African Ebola unit responsible for managing all recovery efforts in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. As important as the Ebola work was, it was not Eric's sole focus. He was also responsible for managing a $6 billion budget and leading a team of 2,900 people located in Washington, D.C., and in more than 30 African countries. In addition, he led a team that focused on helping Nigeria's important elections operate smoother than in the past, prepared a number of events for President Obama's visit to East Africa, supervised an effort to support private sector energy development on the continent, and oversaw the creation of four regional learning centers. Eric, who has held leadership positions as a presidential appointee since joining USAID in 2011, is a modest executive who has followed two guide points throughout his successful career: public service and international development. Eric views military service as a form of public service and joined the U.S. Navy right after graduating Wesleyan. He saw the world, caught the eye of the top brass, and could have risen far in the ranks, but he realized one crucial notion, "I loved everything about the Navy, except its main mission, which was war," Eric says. After his four years in naval service, Eric went to Stanford business school, where he earned an MBA. He joined Citibank in New York and later served in Tokyo, but once again, he chose an unconventional path. Instead of seeking a position within a U.S.-based investment bank, he developed a specialty in raising money for airlines in African, Asian, and South American countries. He eventually rose to become a vice president in Citibank's Japanese private placement department. In 1989, when his wife was accepted to veterinary school at the University of Wisconsin, he resigned from Citibank and founded his own investment banking and financial consulting company in Madison, Wis. The firm, Pangaea Partners, focused on emerging markets such as those in the former Soviet Union, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, and competed very successfully against major multinational investment banking, accounting, and consulting companies. The lure of public service remained strong, though, and despite the pressures of building a financial services company, he found time to serve on the U.S. ExImBank's Sub-Saharan advisory committee and as a commissioner on the Helping to Enhance the Livelihood and People Around the Globe (HELP) Commission. Even with the time challenges of managing thousands of people and budgets in the billions, Eric still finds time to stay in touch with his Wesleyan brothers. "I gained lifelong friendships, had a lot of fun, and shared camaraderie," he says. Eric had joined DKE because his best friends were in the fraternity, and he credits the experience for exposing him to a diverse array of students. "I might not have had the chance to meet so many different kind of students without DKE," he reminiscences. This includes athletes, non-athletes, working class kids, and first- generation college students. Eric rowed crew, but his most memorable contribution to the college scene was to bring up-and-coming musical acts to the campus, including Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, The Marshall Tucker Band, Orleans, and Robert Palmer. One act did slip away, however. "We could have had Peter Frampton for $3,000 but he didn't poll well on campus so we passed." Eric lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and expects to remain a senior leader at USAID until January when his presidential appointment ends. After that, the future is uncertain, but based on past experience, the chances are good that he will once again find a way to serve his community and the world— while also having fun with his DKE brothers. ALUMNUS LEADS USAID AFRICA BUREAU Eric Postel '77: A Gamma Phi DKE Brother Saving Lives Every Day

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