“Strategic Impact Through Collaboration, Innovation, and Purpose”
Adam J. Tomasek is a globally recognized executive whose 20-year career has spanned public service, nonprofit leadership, and cross-sectoral innovation to advance sustainability, economic inclusion, and transformative partnerships with the private sector. A tireless advocate for growth and sustainability, Tomasek brings a unique fusion of technical expertise, policy influence, and operational leadership. His life’s work has been centered on empowering organizations, communities, and economies to thrive through meaningful and measurable impact, all while navigating some of the world’s most complex and dynamic environments.
As Managing Director and Chief Partnerships Officer at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Adam has built one of the most impactful private sector engagement portfolios in the U.S. federal government. Under his leadership, USAID launched its first global corporate partnership practice, establishing 184 new partnerships and mobilizing over $920 million in just one year. He designed the visionary EDGE Fund, a flagship initiative to leverage business capabilities for sustainability, has already secured $1.1 billion in commitments and is poised to mobilize up to $4 billion more over the next five years.
Adam’s leadership has extended across and beyond the Federal government. He served as a senior official to the National Security Council’s Partnerships and Global Engagement Directorate, facilitating more than 1,400 partnerships across philanthropy, business, and civil society sectors. He helped drive a collective $97 billion in partner contributions, underscoring his ability to blend diplomacy, strategy, and stakeholder engagement at the highest levels of government and global affairs. He also served on the U.S. COVID-19 Taskforce and Global Task Force on Pandemic Response, the U.S. Ebola Taskforce, and contributed to the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience, and the White House Summits for Democracy. And he has had extensive engagement with the G20 and G7 Summits, World Economic Forum, ASEAN, APEC, and many arms of the United Nations.
Before his tenure at USAID, Adam served in multiple leadership roles with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), including Global Initiative Leader. Based in Indonesia, he led the Heart of Borneo Initiative, the largest transboundary rainforest conservation program in Asia, coordinating efforts across three national governments, multilateral donors, and major international institutions. He secured over $150 million in funding and stewarded partnerships that influenced forest policy, carbon markets, and regional development planning across Southeast Asia.
Tomasek’s credentials are not only steeped in experience but also in academic and professional excellence. With a B.S. in Paleoclimatology from the University of Michigan and an M.S. in Environmental Systems from Cal Poly, his foundations in environmental science and economics are matched by high-level executive education from institutions like MIT, Harvard, Yale, IMD, and the U.S. Foreign Service Institute. This educational journey reflects his commitment to lifelong learning and the integration of business, strategy, and global affairs.
Throughout his career, Adam has demonstrated a keen ability to marry innovation with scale. As Director of Operational Innovations in USAID’s Global Development Lab, he played a pivotal role in designing the Agency’s largest blended finance platform, catalyzing $1.4 billion in investments for climate change, food security, financial inclusion, digital solutions for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). He also led co-design of initiatives with Fortune 500 companies and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Boston Consulting Group to mobilize digital health finance and supply chain solutions across 30 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Adam’s expertise in innovative finance is complemented by his proficiency in policy design. As Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator in 2024, he coordinated the drafting of USAID’s Economic Growth and Trade Policy, the agency’s first strategic roadmap for economic resilience and sustainable trade. His efforts helped shape new legislation securing $565 million in long-term funding, demonstrating his acumen for aligning institutional vision with political will and operational implementation.
Beyond the policy and partnerships, Adam is a dynamic builder of teams and systems. He spearheaded design of USAID’s enterprise CRM platform for global partnerships, consolidating 19,000 records and saving over 50,000 employee hours annually. This award-winning tool symbolizes his commitment to institutional modernization and scalable innovation, with human-centered design and strategic foresight at its core.
Earlier in his career, Adam served as an expert author and advisor on Sustainable Finance to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Kenya and taught a course in international development and foreign policy as an Adjunct Professor at American University for two years. He also served in the Peace Corps in Paraguay, an experience that deeply informed his values around service, equity, and community engagement. And he has recently launched an entrepreneurial initiative, Frontier Diplomacy, to continue bridging sectors and borders to foster social impact through responsible investment and strategic partnerships.
Adam’s values-driven leadership, combined with his global network and sharp strategic instincts, make him a sought-after advisor and keynote speaker in the fields of international development, foreign affairs, innovative finance and sustainability. Whether influencing White House summits, co-designing sustainability bonds, or advising Fortune 500 CEOs, he consistently brings clarity, conviction, and compassion to his work. His legacy is one of bold experimentation, tireless service, and meaningful results for people and the planet alike.
Character:
Adam exemplifies integrity, empathy, and a deep sense of public service rooted in lived global experience and principled leadership. He leads with humility and resilience, consistently elevating his teams and partners to achieve greater collective impact.
Knowledge:
With advanced education in environmental systems and executive training from the world’s top institutions, Adam is a thought leader in sustainable development, climate finance, and innovation ecosystems. His ability to synthesize technical expertise with policy and operational execution distinguishes his work in both public and private sectors.
Strategic:
Adam excels in designing and executing forward-thinking strategies that align public policy, private sector innovation, and philanthropic vision. He has repeatedly delivered transformative programs by forging consensus, mobilizing resources, and scaling solutions across diverse stakeholder landscapes.
Communication:
Adam is a master communicator with experience briefing heads of state, negotiating with CEOs, and appearing in major print and digital media. His narrative clarity, multilingual diplomacy, and cross-cultural fluency have made him an indispensable bridge-builder throughout his career.
