Jeffery D. Bell arrived in Brasilia on October 17 to serve in the capacity of Mission Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Brazil. Previously, Mr. Bell served as Deputy Director of USAID/Mexico from May 2006 to June 2008, working on management and oversight of programs in the environment, education, health, and justice sector reforms.

Mr. Bell has been a Foreign Service Officer with USAID since 1990. In addition to his previous position with USAID/Mexico, he has served as Deputy Director of USAID/Washington's Office of Acquisition and Assistance, and in overseas Missions in Ghana, Botswana, Jordan, Dominican Republic, and Colombia. Mr. Bell holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Southern Illinois University and has intermediate knowledge of Portuguese and Spanish.