USAIDCENTRAL ASIA 1 FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

May 20, 2016

Dear To Whom It May Concern,

It is with great pleasure that I am writing this recommendation for Ms. Svetlana Ivanova. As the Regional

Controller for the USAID Central Asia Mission in Kazakhstan, I have had the opportunity to work with Ms.

Ivanova for the past three years.

Serving as the lead Financial Analyst for USAID's Democracy and Governance program portfolio in five

Central Asian countries, Ms. Ivanova demonstrated a high level of professionalism in financial analysis

and reporting. Her responsibilities included managing recipient contracted audits and ensuring USAID

awardees were in compliance with U.S. Government rules and regulations. She also provided capacity

building assistance to local organizations, making significant contributions to the organizational

development of several local NGOs including ARGO - a local implementing partner that has become a

leader and role model in the NGO world of Kazakhstan.

As a key contributor and trainer, Ms. Ivanova created and led the financial management training

component of the Mission's Strengthening Local Engagement for Development Program which provides

guidance to local NG0s. She also successfully led the Mission's Local Solutions Working group,

encouraging other team members, consolidating their ideas, and putting the ideas into action.

In addition to being a financial management professional, Ms. lvanova is also familiar with the broader

issues of development assistance. She is a quick study and is considered an integral member of the

Democracy and Governance Technical Office team. Her erudition and interest in broadening her areas of

expertise helped her quickly grasp the conceptual ideas that lay behind the program funding decisions

made by USAID. Ms. Ivanova communicates very effectively with development partners, as well as with

other program stakeholders and USAID staff, as demonstrated by her selection to represent Mission

colleagues at a world-wide employee conference hosted by USAID/Washington.

Ms. Ivanova's strong work performance and outstanding professionalism, as well as her excellent interpersonal skills and ability to create positive working relationships, have made her an integral

member of USAID/Central Asia's Office of Financial Management. I hope I have the privilege of working

with her again and recommend her for any position that coincides with her qualifications.

Sincerely,

Kris Smathers

Regional Controller

USAID/Centra I Asia