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KEISHA EFFIOM

AUTHOR · LEADER · STRATEGIST

When giants fall, the servants remain.

ABOUT KEISHA EFFIOM

Built to lead · Tested beyond measure · Still standing

Keisha Effiom is a former USAID Mission Director with over 18 years of leadership across Africa, managing billion-dollar portfolios and leading crisis response efforts in some of the most complex environments in the world.
Her work has shaped systems, strengthened institutions, and impacted millions of lives. But when the institution she served collapsed around her, she was forced to confront a question few leaders ever have to answer.

I SAID MY PIECE
with Peace:

I SAID MY PIECE with Peace:

A firsthand account of leadership, loss, and resilience during the unprecedented dismantling of USAID. This is not just a story about an institution. It is a story about what it costs to lead when everything is falling apart—and what it takes to rebuild when it does.

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FEATURED REFLECTIONS

I Didn’t Leave. I Was Pushed — And Then I Chose.

I am sitting in Johannesburg, seven months later… still putting myself back together. Both things are true.” This space is where the story continues—unfiltered, unpolished, and real.

What Readers Are Saying

Join the growing community of readers moved by this powerful story of leadership and resilience.

Nicholas Enrich Former Acting Assistant Administrator for Global Health, USAID

Wow! What an incredibly honest telling of your experiences during the destruction of USAID, and your description of how the Administration's chaos tore at the fabric of teams and tested leaders was eerily familiar and powerfully told! It made me mad and sad all over again!

Maura Former Deputy Assistant Administrator, USAID

Thank you for sharing such a raw and unvarnished account of leadership in the midst of dismantling not just an agency, but something far more profound in American history. Every former USAID colleague, and those who partnered with us, should read this. There is a piece of all of us in it, and it offers both reflection and quiet inspiration for what comes next. I look forward to continuing the journey with you. I, too, am not finished.

Reader Power-Read in 2 Days

I couldn't put it down. I needed to stop three times on account of tearing up. A truly strong, raw leadership memoir on the difficulties of being a servant leader through a formidable and traumatic crisis. When I finished it felt like I just got back from a trip to Kigali. My favorite parts were your recipes — a truly creative gem. You have a gift. I am ordering a copy for my 72-year-old mother. We are anxiously awaiting your next one.

Reader Dakar, Senegal

I just downloaded your book, started reading, and sent notices to family and friends to do the same. Your voice comes through — clear and true. With every word, I feel as if you are sitting in my Dakar apartment sharing your story with me. All my love to you and the extended USAID family.

Stay Connected

Reflections. Leadership. What comes next.

A Testament of Leadership When

Everything Falls Apart

Keisha Effiom’s powerful memoir from inside USAID’s final days — a story of servant leadership, resilience, and finding peace in the midst of crisis.

“At a time when the world is seeing the effects of an ‘ends justifying the means’ approach to global strategy, Ms. Effiom presents us with her ‘means justifying the end’ alternative.”

— Benjamin Lawrence, Senior Colleague

The Voice Behind

the Words

When giants fall, the servants remain.
Welcome. I am Keisha L. Effiom — Author, Servant leader, and former USAID Mission Director. This is the story of what happens when institutions fail and people prevail.

I Said My Piece with Peace

Inside USAID’s Final Days — A Testament of Leadership When Everything Falls Apart

About the Book

I Said My Piece with Peace: Inside USAID’s Final Days: A Testament of Leadership When Everything Falls Apart
On July 18, 2024, Keisha Lanai Effiom was sworn in as USAID Mission Director for Rwanda and Burundi — one of only eight African-American women in history to hold this position worldwide.
She had plans. Bold, beautiful partnerships that would transform communities for generations.

Imprint

Unmuted Press

Author

Keisha Effiom

Be Part of the Movement

Readers from South Africa to Dakar to the United States are sharing their stories. Join the conversation with #ISaidMyPiece