What I Do

Joel Antal's career blends 18 years of private sector work experience---Corporate Finance and Banking (MBA University of Chicago)---into his progressively challenging consulting assignments, most recently as Chief of Party in a USAID-funded institution and capacity building program in South Sudan (long term)and in 2007, STTA in commodity markets studies and value chain analysis in Mali, Ghana, and Nigeria. Expertise in

-Project Design/Implementation with multidisciplinary, multinational and consortium-based teams.
-Policy Formation and Dialogue involving senior level host counterparts, project sponsor(s) and other donors
-Team Leader and Chief of Party positions: program revisions, work plans, monitoring,and reporting
-Grant Management: allocate, train, monitor, audit for both construction projects and institutional operations
-Institution Development,Management Capacity Building

- SME strengthing, value chain and enterprise clusters, quality enhancement, competitiveness and trade
expansion (7 countries, 51 months)

- Financial Institutions---diagnosis, restructuring and staff reorientation (2 countries 34 months)

- Institution Creation/Capacity Building for Economic Growth
(3 countries 41 months)

-Project design, work plan formalization, and management execution within timetable (all aspects, most assignments)

Mr. Antal has functioned as Team Leader and Chief of Party on six assignments, primarily under USAID's planning, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting framework, in locations such as Kyrgyzstan, Sudan (North), Guinea, Morocco, Madagascar (four times), Mali, Rwanda, and Sudan (South). His technical teams have ranged from four to twelve members.

He has worked extensively with senior host country counterparts in articulating action plans, benchmarks, timetables, and related M&E, while motivating staff, usually meeting and sometimes surpassing targets, and sending up the line concise, informative reports that include core issues and recommendations.

Broader country work experience includes Cote d'Ivoire (Peace Corps Volunteer), Vietnam (civil reform-USAID Field Officer), Europe, Brazil, and Senegal (private sector). Joel remains fluent in French, conversant in both Arabic and Vietnamese. He holds a US passport and a permanent resident visa for Madagascar.

Recent Project Profiles: 2007 STTA to Mali (twice);also Ghana, Nigeria for value chain and commodity markets evaluations

Jan 2004 to October 2006-Chief of Party for the Southern Sudan Agriculture Revitalization Program ($14.8 million). Purpose to create and make operational six national agribusiness training centers -Agriculture, livestock, fisheries, agri-technology, forestry, and wildlife.Ref:walsh2005@yahoo.com; galex@usaid.gov

Sept. 2002-2003: STTA Team Leader. Purpose to outline strategy and tactics to revitalize the Agribusiness and Forestry sectors; also project design and local talent identification Ref huisengama@mcc.gov (USAID/ARD)