I am passionate about the responsible and inclusive use of digital technology and artificial intelligence to drive meaningful social impact globally. With over 20 years of experience in the social impact and digital technology sectors, I have worked in more than 30 emerging and frontier markets in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. I’ve worked extensively in digital agriculture, financial inclusion, and digital transformation. I am also the founder and CEO of Civi, a technology startup that aims to bring people together across difference to drive meaningful change.
From 2021 to 2025, I served as the Senior Digital Advisor in USAID’s Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security, where I drove the integration of innovative digital technologies into resilience and food security initiatives, while also representing the Agency at high-profile global forums, advocating for the role of digital solutions in development.
Prior to joining USAID, I led efforts that secured over $30 million in funding for technology-driven projects from renowned institutions such as USAID, the Rockefeller Foundation, the World Bank, ITU, BSR, and the Global Resilience Partnership. I have also managed multi-country initiatives across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, valued at more than $11 million.
I’ve authored numerous publications focused on helping practitioners to appropriately make use of technology for development. In addition, I have presented at dozens of international conferences, and have designed and facilitated hands-on workshops on AI, digital inclusion, low-cost video, mobile technologies, and other ICT tools for agriculture, resilience, health, education, and governance across numerous countries in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America.
I also manage an extremely small smart(ish) farm (which I refer to as my nanofarm) where I grow more than 20 varieties of fruit, a variety of perennial and annual vegetables, as well as keep bees and chickens.
You can learn more about me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwoodard/
Where I’ve been
Here's a visual snapshot of everywhere in the world I've lived, worked, and traveled to over the years.
89 countries total · 3 lived · 32 worked · 54 traveled
Hover or tap a highlighted country to see its name.
View the complete list of countries
Lived (3)
- Thailand
- United Kingdom
- United States
Worked (32)
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- El Salvador
- Ethiopia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- India
- Indonesia
- Kenya
- Laos
- Liberia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Moldova
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Nigeria
- North Macedonia
- Pakistan
- Papua New Guinea
- Peru
- Philippines
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- Sri Lanka
- Tajikistan
- Timor-Leste
- Uganda
- Zambia
Traveled (54)
- Andorra
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Cambodia
- Canada
- China
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Czechia
- Egypt
- Estonia
- Eswatini
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kosovo
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Mongolia
- Morocco
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Oman
- Panama
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Tanzania
- Türkiye
- United Arab Emirates
- Vatican City
- Vietnam
- Zimbabwe
Have a project in mind?
I work with organizations tackling digital transformation in complex environments. If that sounds like you, let’s talk about how I can help.