I am passionate about the responsible and inclusive use of digital technology 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.