Donella J. Russell

Donella J. Russell serves as a Contracting Officer for USAID/Ukraine, where she leads the acquisition and management of professional, scientific, and technical services critical to advancing democratic governance, economic resilience, and public health reform in Ukraine. Her portfolio encompasses complex, mission-critical contracts designed to build institutional capacity, strengthen civil society, and modernize public service delivery under challenging post-conflict conditions. She exercises full contracting authority under the Federal Acquisition Regulation, ensuring compliance with U.S. foreign assistance policy and international procurement standards while aligning acquisitions with USAID’s strategic objectives in Ukraine. While no specific contractor relationships are currently identifiable in the data, Ms. Russell engages with a broad spectrum of international and local service providers, including consulting firms, technical assistance organizations, and civil society support entities. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, rigorous evaluation criteria, and transparent competition, fostering partnerships with organizations capable of delivering high-impact, context-sensitive solutions in dynamic operational environments. Ms. Russell’s procurement activity reflects a consistent preference for full and open competition, with 100% of her acquisitions classified as “No Set-Aside.” This indicates a focus on selecting the most qualified offerors regardless of socioeconomic status, prioritizing technical merit and mission alignment over targeted small business set-asides. While she does not currently utilize 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs, her approach ensures equitable access to opportunities for all eligible vendors under open competition frameworks. Her primary procurement focus is concentrated under NAICS 541990—All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services—encompassing advisory services, institutional capacity building, governance diagnostics, monitoring and evaluation, and technical training. She specializes in procuring services that support electoral integrity, anti-corruption mechanisms, public financial management reform, and private sector development, reflecting deep expertise in post-conflict institutional strengthening and development programming.