Ms. Whyche-Shaw is a highly experienced and successful international leader. Most recently, Oren was nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2022 as board member of the African Development Bank (AfDB) representing the United States of America. She retired in June 2023. Prior to her role at the AfDB, Oren was the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Deputy Assistant Administrator (DAA) for the Bureau of sub-Saharan Africa. Concurrently, she held the positions of Interagency Coordinator for President Obama’s Partnership in Growth and then, Coordinator for the Trade Africa Initiative.
In her DAA role, she oversaw the interagency effort the Bureau’s interagency leadership in combatting the Ebola pandemic in West Africa and subsequently, the USG’s efforts against the COVID pandemic in Southern Africa. Before selection into the Senior Executive Service DAA, Oren’s responsibilities included oversight of the Bureau’s private sector, financial access and trade development activities on the continent. She oversaw the use of the NASA-USAID SERVIR data for the development of African projects related to climate change, desertification, disease and wildlife tracking.
Before joining USAID in 2011, Oren was the Director for the Office of African Nations at the U.S. Treasury. Her responsibilities encompassed Treasury’s policy discussions with African country officials, representing Treasury’s African positions in the interagency and with bilateral and multilateral institutions. Over and above those responsibilities, Oren conceived and Initiated implementation of the U.S. African Mortgage Markets Initiative announced by President Bush during his trip to Africa.
Oren’s diversified career includes leadership positions in the private, financial, not-for-profit and multilateral sectors. She has held positions as the Director of the Private Sector Investments Department at the African Development Bank; board member of the African Export-Import Development Bank; Chair of Plan International USA and board member of the Plan International Federation; Vice President for Africa with Technoserve, Inc.; was an Emerging and Developing Markets investment banker at Citibank, NA.; a corporate banker at J.P. Morgan; Manager of the Global Acoustic Business at Owens-Corning; Manager of Global Banking for R.J. Reynolds Industries, Inc.; and the former President of the African Venture Capital Association.
Other positions she has held include member of the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Advisory Council; board member of the World Bicycle Relief not-for-profit; member of the Astronomy Section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; and Chair of the Court of Distinguished Daughters of the Philadelphia High School for Girls Alumnae Association. Oren had the honor to serve as the Senior Special Advisor to the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission when selected in 1983 as a White House Fellow.
Oren has always maintained a love of STEAM, space exploration and astronomy and is a passionate speaker. She is an Advisor to the board of the Legacy Bridges STEM Academy, is a member of the Planetary Society, as well as the Overview Roundtable. Walking her talk, she has flown on a Zero-G Flight and was awarded “The Right Stuff” medal at the Advanced Adult Space Camp in Birmingham, AL
Oren holds a Bachelor of Science dual major degree in Theoretical Mathematics and French from Capital University in Columbus, OH. As the first Citibank Fellow at Columbia University’s School of Business, she earned a Master’s in Business Administration in Finance, Money and Financial Markets, and International Business. Oren has received numerous awards and has lived and worked internationally in more than 50 countries.