Thomas R. Hardy

Thomas R. Hardy was appointed on August 4, 2020 as the Director of Policy and Program Management of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, a U.S. government agency that helps U.S. businesses create jobs through the export of their goods and services for priority infrastructure projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. companies to global export opportunities by providing early project preparation assistance that matches U.S. technological expertise with overseas infrastructure development needs – creating lasting business partnerships between the U.S. companies and emerging market economies.

Previously, Mr. Hardy led USTDA as the Director (Acting) from 2017-2020 where he helped to transform the Agency to take on the challenges presented in an ever-changing global landscape. He has also served as the Chief of Staff and as a Country Manager in the East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa regions.

Prior to joining USTDA, Mr. Hardy served as an advisor to Commissioner Thelma J. Askey at the U.S. International Trade Commission and as a staff member of the Committee on Ways and Means in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Heather K. Lanigan

Heather Lanigan is the Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa at the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), where she is responsible for developing the agency’s strategies, assistance activities, and innovative partnerships throughout the region. In addition to her regional responsibilities, she also leads USTDA’s Global Telecommunications Sector Team.

In her tenure at USTDA, Ms. Lanigan previously served as the Country Manager for the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and Eurasia, and for South Asia, and was responsible for implementing project preparation activities that catalyzed energy, transportation and telecommunications infrastructure projects in over 20 countries. Ms. Lanigan also served as the Economic Transition Coordinator for the U.S. Department of State’s policy and programming assistance in Egypt, Libya, Syria and Tunisia.

Ms. Lanigan holds a Master of Arts degree in Global Finance Trade and Economic Integration from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Spanish from St. Lawrence University.

Mohammed Essay

Mohammed Essay is a Senior Business Development Specialist & Country representative for Southern Africa at the U.S. Trade and Development Agency based in Johannesburg, South Africa. In this capacity, he is responsible for business development, project preparation and evaluation of USTDA activities in Southern Africa.

Prior to his appointment at USTDA, Mr. Essay was a Commercial Specialist and Consultant at the U.S. Commercial Service advising clients in the agribusiness, ICT, finance and environmental sectors for more than 10 years. He also served as the Regional Agribusiness Team Leader and country manager for Liberia, Guinea and The Gambia.

Mr. Essay holds a Master of Science degree in Economics and a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Econometrics and International Trade and Development from the University of Johannesburg. Mr. Essay has vast government and private sector experience and is a trained economist by profession.

Sebastian Keneally

Sebastian Keneally works on the Sub-Saharan Africa team as a Power Africa Country Manager. He covers the energy and climate sectors in East, Central and Southern Africa with a focus on renewable generation, transmission and distribution, energy storage, critical minerals, green hydrogen and adaptation. Prior to joining USTDA, Sebastian worked at the New Climate Economy project at the World Resources Institute. In this role, he supported projects exploring the social and economic benefits of climate action and green investment in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. He also worked on research projects related to clean energy and carbon pricing in Indonesia and the role of public development banks in climate finance. Mr. Keneally has also worked as a financial analyst in the private energy sector, the Political Risk Insurance division at DFC, and as a research associate for Mitsubishi Corporation Americas focused on political risk. Sebastian holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Santa Clara University.

Elizabeth Rosa

Elizabeth Rosa is the Events Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa at the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.

Prior to joining USTDA, Elizabeth served as the Special Events Coordinator at the U.S. Capitol. While there, she was instrumental in executing over 1000 Congressional events, including the 2021 Presidential Inauguration, the 117th Congress New Member Orientation, and several House and Senate Committee Hearings.

Before her work at the Capitol, Elizabeth was a senior project manager with a small business federal contractor, where she managed events, trainings and conferences for multiple agencies, including the Executive Office of the President. The events ranged in size from 25 to 5000 attendees and were held in different locations across the nation.

Elizabeth speaks Spanish and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biological Sciences from Florida State University. She also holds certificates in Events Management from George Washington University and in Data Analytics from Harvard Business School.