Ryan L. Shelby, PhD
Career Diplomat & Foreign Service Engineering Officer,
USAID/LPA
Welcome!
I am a Career Diplomat & Congressional Liaison Officer serving within USAID’s Bureau of Legislative and Public Affairs (LPA) since 2023.
Prior to my current position, I served in the US Diplomatic Mission to South Africa (2019-2023) and led a team that focused on countering malign development practices and addressing corruption-enabling vulnerabilities in strategic infrastructure growth sectors: artificial intelligence, digital, critical minerals, water, energy, & climate resilient infrastructure.
From 2017-2019, I served in US Diplomatic Mission to Haiti and managed a team that concentrated on (1) climate resilient infrastructure, (2) housing rehabilitation, (3) clean energy, and (4) Disaster Risk Reduction policies
From 2013-2017, I was a Senior Energy Engineering Advisor within USAID’s Office of Energy & Infrastructure where I supported & led the Powering Agriculture: Grand Challenge for Development.
In 2019, I was selected to receive the 2019 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal for National Security and International Affairs, given to the U.S. Government officials who have fostered innovation and have provided the greatest benefit to the American people.
In 2021, I was selected as a Power 50 US National Security and Foreign Affairs Leader by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Diversity in National Security Network (DINSN).
For my dedication to public service and his commitment to the betterment of society, I received the 2022 Mark Bingham Award for Excellence in Achievement by a Young Alumni from the University of California, Berkeley.
For my pursuit of understanding, discovery, innovation, and problem-solving to significantly impact the state of Alabama and the nation, I was bestowed the inaugural 2023 Alabama School of Mathematics and Science Dragon Legacy Distinguished Alum Award and Lecture.
Prior to joining USAID in 2013, I was a Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Science, Technology, & Innovation Fellow focused on the design and implementation of mini- and micro-grids to aid the expansion of modern electricity services in six Sub Saharan African countries: (1) Sierra Leone, (2) Liberia, (3) Ghana, (4) Benin, (5) Tanzania, and (6) Malawi.
Prior to joining MCC, I was a Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellow and a J. Herbert Hollomon Fellow at The National Academies that focused on engineering education and the application of system engineering to peace building initiatives as a fellow in the Program Office of the National Academy of Engineering.
I hold a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Alabama A&M University, a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
I also serve as an Advisory Board Member for the Blum Center Master of Development Engineering program at the University of California, Berkeley.
I am the co-founder of the Community Assessment of Renewable Energy & Sustainability (CARES) organization & an alumnus the Berkeley Energy and Sustainable Technologies (BEST) Design Laboratory headed by Dr. Alice Agogino.
My doctoral research involved a co-design theory for the identification and incorporation of social performance metrics for the design and implementation of energy and water efficient housing and renewable energy power systems for power generation within Native American communities.
