Keisha Herbert

Keisha Herbert is a native of Cleveland, Ohio and a graduate of Howard University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. After college, Keisha worked for City Hall in Cleveland as a Research Aide, before joining the United States Peace Corps. Keisha served in Peace Corps Guatemala for three years, as an Integrated Youth Promoter assigned to the Youth in Development Project. Her role involved integrating and teaching a Life Skills Curriculum in four middle schools by working with approximately 30 teachers and more than 500 Guatemalan youth. Keisha has extensive experience in non-formal education; cross-cultural integration; project design, management and evaluation; and community analysis. She has served as a SustainUS youth delegate, which led to advocating for intergenerational equity at the 19th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Warsaw, Poland.

Prior to joining the Payne Program, Keisha worked as an Inclusion and Diversity Training and Programs Specialist at a hospital to address cultural competency, encourage equitable practices, and manage a high-school mentoring program. Most recently, Keisha completed a congressional internship with the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration in Development Practice at Columbia University. Her desired USAID Foreign Service Officer backstop is a Program/Project Development Officer.