A Conversation with Food for Peace Director Trey Hicks
By: Usaid Food For Peace
Tags: Humanitarian Aid, Humanitarian, Refugees, Food Assistance, Food Security

Talk a bit about your work on the Hill and how that has figured in to your role as Director of Food for Peace.

Prior to joining Food for Peace I was a Senior Professional Staff Member on the Foreign Relations Committee in the Senate. I was the lead on foreign assistance for the committee as well as the lead oversight investigator.

There are a lot of historic changes within USAID, and during my time on the Hill I got deep in the weeds on humanitarian policy, particularly the food aid side. One of the bills that I helped with on the committee was the Global Food Security Act (GFSA), which included authorization of the entire International Disaster Assistance (IDA) account. This is the main account used for funding humanitarian assistance along with Title II legislation in the Farm Bill.

It’s a subject I worked on very long and hard to get to that place where it was enshrined into law. Not only IDA writ large, but also the Emergency Food Security Program (EFSP) component which created a permanent account for fully flexible food assistance.

What are your initial views of Food for Peace and food assistance now that you’re on the implementation side as opposed to the legislative side?

Well, there’s a lot more behind the curtain than I ever imagined. Seeing it firsthand really reinforces my faith in the program and the team that puts food assistance into action.

Over the years, I had developed a good rapport with [Food for Peace] senior leadership, working on some of the bills and policies related to food aid reform. But seeing firsthand how much thought and attention goes into every single decision — it renews my faith in the program and what the people here [at USAID] really do. Down to the very nitty gritty details. The team takes this seriously and tries to run the most efficient ship possible, because every dollar we save through improved efficiency helps to save more lives.

You noted that this new role has allowed you to see another dimension to food assistance. What has come as the biggest surprise?

It’s an entirely new experience and has all been a bit of a shock. Even after 13 years on the Hill, I guess the biggest shock is learning to navigate this bureaucracy with so many moving parts. I’m trying to figure out how everything currently works, while simultaneously keeping an eye on the future to determine how everything will work when we stand up a new Bureau.

You alluded to the new Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, which was recently approved by Congress as part of USAID’s Transformation. What are some of the main benefits of bringing together the Office of Food for Peace and the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) to form a new bureau?

The importance of a unified leadership and voice on humanitarian issues cannot be overstated. We have partners that are involved in all aspects of humanitarian programming and they often have three different agreements across U.S. Government humanitarian offices, each with a different set of expectations and relationships to manage.

Having a centralized point for a given emergency helps streamline the supply chain and simplify the logistical burden to a degree. With that comes savings. Reducing overhead and associated costs means we’re freeing up money that can go into programming. So again, every dollar we save can actually go to saving lives. It’s good governance and it makes sense given our common goal.

What are some of your other priorities for 2019?

I’d like to bring back humanitarian diplomacy. At the international scale, I feel in some ways that humanitarian actors are kept to the periphery. We need to remind various countries of our role and to create a space so we can effectively provide for those that need assistance. There needs to be a greater emphasis on that. I also want to ensure that the humanitarians on the ground — our amazing partners — are taken into account. There needs to be a very distinct feedback loop from the ground up to make sure the implementers and policy makers are in harmony. It’s important that we never get too Washington focused; the operations here [in Washington] always need to be field and beneficiary focused.

What would you say is the biggest challenge in providing food assistance today?

The majority of current emergencies are man-made and driven by conflict. There’s a lot happening on these fronts, and it can be a challenge to be in the middle of a political battle when your job is focused on humanitarian work. It can definitely be a tricky place to navigate.

In terms of the donor community, the United States is a leader and there’s a focus on getting other donors to table, rightly so. It’s often referred to as “fair share” and I agree with that sentiment. We’ve been working to get other donors involved and have had some successes. South Korea is one, for example; they were actually an aid recipient and have now matured into a donor. It really exemplifies what the Administrator means by “The Journey to Self-Reliance”. Again, this is all part of humanitarian diplomacy. Things are changing but there is definitely room to bring more people into the fold and increase contributions.

What are you currently reading?

I’m consumed with reading — a lot of sci-fi. Currently I’m reading a series called The Mandle Files by Peter Hamilton, about apocalyptic post-warming England. It’s…it’s interesting [laughter].

Thanks, Trey. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

When I left the Hill I was asked what I would like to do. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and it was this. I love being here at USAID with Food for Peace. I love the staff. I love the work.

About the Author

USAID’s Office of Food for Peace saves lives and tackles chronic hunger and poverty through U.S. food assistance. Expressing the generosity of the American people, we bring help and hope to ordinary people in desperate situations, and have reached more than 4 billion people with food assistance since 1954. Follow Food for Peace on Twitter @USAIDFFP.