Partners for Development (PFD) was fortunate to have a twenty-year relationship with Anne Johnson.

In 1993, Anne coordinated war-time assistance in Bosnia and Herzegovina.   In supporting her team of two expatriates and twelve national staff, Anne travelled several times through violently-disputed areas in central Bosnia.   Amongst other activities, the program provided seeds and tools and thereby enabled more than 5,000 extremely vulnerable families to grow their own food and be less dependent on food aid from the United Nations.

Following the assignment in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Anne left PFD and returned to other work in Egypt, one of her favorite places in the world.

In 1999, on moving to Nigeria with her husband, Geof Dolman, Anne contacted PFD and began to share ideas on how PFD might play a meaningful role in Africa’s largest country.   In 2000, Anne led on the design of a large agricultural support program that won funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.   Over time, the agricultural project in central Nigeria secured support from other agencies; PFD was thus able to create a more integrated approach based on developing the capacity of many community-based organizations while also addressing priority areas in public health and small scale credit.

In 2001, Anne and Geof moved to the Balkans to take on assignments with other employers, with both however returning as a consulting team to PFD in 2003 in Bosnia and Herzegovina to guide PFD through a complex transition in program-management.

In 2008, PFD welcomed Anne back to a second tour as its Country Program Director in Nigeria.   Through Anne’s leadership, the Nigeria program began activities in the volatile Niger Delta region, increased its number of local partners to over 20, and secured a $1.5 million Program Related Investment (PRI) from the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, the first such PRI for the Foundation in Nigeria.

In 2010, when Anne and Geof moved to Vermont, PFD was pleased that Anne accepted a promotion to Director of Programs.   During her three years in this position, Anne’s accomplishments were many with just a few of the more notable being:  leading on the design of an agricultural project in Benin that won funding of over $4 million for a four-year period; designing a Program Management Report (PMR) system that will improve PFD’s timeliness in reporting as well as better mesh results with the Millennium Development Goals; setting up Partners Consulting Group, a sister initiative to PFD; playing a key role in the design of PFD’s Strategic Plan; and serving as expert facilitator for several PFD organizational meetings.

While all of Anne’s more tangible accomplishments on behalf of PFD are important in their own right of equal import was her sterling character and how that affected so many.   Anne had a very rare mix of unfailing grace and kindness, keen intelligence, an outstanding sense of humor, and an unrivaled commitment that was truly inspirational.

Anne’s obituary can be viewed at the following site: click here

Anne requested that in lieu of flowers, contributions in her name be made to Partners for Development.

By Mail:

Partners for Development

8630 Fenton Street, Suite 613

Silver Spring, MD 20910

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