30 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Eric Burkett Acquisition for USAID/Dominican Republic and Eastern Caribbean when he was RIFed, said: “It is deeply meaningful to know that our institutions still uphold the values we swore to defend: fairness, diverse perspectives, and the power of constructive dissent. It is a reminder that integrity still matters.” Forghani, born in Iran and raised in California, has 15 years of experience in oversight and procurement roles at USAID, the State Department, and NASA Offices of Inspector General. “In a time of fear, repression, and surveillance, I am proud to be one of the few voices who stood up for my beliefs and values in support of an agency I love,” said Heather Wirick, team lead and contracting and agreement officer at USAID/Southern Africa when the dissent message was submitted. “USAID’s Foreign Service is one of our country’s smartest investments in national security, economic strength, and global stability.” Wirick joined USAID as a Foreign Service officer in 2016 after supporting global humanitarian crises as a civil servant and serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Benin. She served in Haiti, Colombia, and South Africa. Meghan Waters, a USAID contracting and agreement officer who served in Peru and Uganda, said, “This award reminds me that I have the ability to stand up for what I know is right, even when it’s difficult. It reassures me that I stood on the right side of history.” During her service, Waters managed portfolios for multiple South American countries, coordinated U.S. responses to Peru’s largest oil spill, and led emergency assistance efforts for LGBTQ+ communities in Uganda. For Joshua Schramm, contracting and agreements officer with the USAID Management Bureau’s Office of Acquisition and Assistance at the time, the award “means recognition of the value of standing up for one’s values amid the torrent of fear, greed, and confusion that was the dissolution of USAID.” Schramm has served in Liberia, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, and Washington, D.C., and is a returned Peace Corps volunteer from Mongolia. “I’m honored to be included with such an impressive group of contracting officers who stayed true to their integrity, regardless of the personal risk,” said R. Clark Pearson, who was supervisory contracting officer with USAID/Ukraine when the dissent message was sent. Pearson has served as supervisory contracting officer in Colombia, Central Asia, Iraq, and Ukraine over his 16-year career as an FSO. “Development should be firewalled from politics and diplomacy. The world’s greatest country should help others because it can, independent of whether or not it serves a specific political agenda,” he added. Sam Kraegel, then deputy director of the Regional Contracting Office at USAID/Caucasus, reflected, “It represents recognition that I stood up for my beliefs and values, fighting for my agency and for the people we serve. The goodwill and growth we create abroad return tenfold to the American people.” Andrea Capellán Andrea Cristancho Jessica Carlson Abtin Forghani Heather Wirick Meghan Waters Joshua Schramm R. Clark Pearson Sam Kraegel “It represents recognition that I stood up for my beliefs and values, fighting for my agency and for the people we serve. The goodwill and growth we create abroad return tenfold to the American people.” —Sam Kraegel
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