US embassy cable - 05AMMAN4252

UNCLAS AMMAN 004252 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/PPD; IMEYEROFF A/OPE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASUP AMGT APER 
SUBJECT: 2005 AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN GRANT MANAGEMENT 
 
REF: STATE 32354 
 
1. Post nominates Thair Shraideh, Program Management 
Specialist, for the Federal Assistance Excellence Award 
for Foreign Service Nationals. 
 
2. Justification: In the last three fiscal years (FY02 
- FY04), Thair drafted and administered over $2 million 
dollars in grants, many of them generated by the Middle 
East Partnership (MEPI) or PASA funds granted by USAID 
to the Public Affairs Section.  These grants supported 
high-profile programs, which advanced our reform and 
public diplomacy goals in Jordan and the region.  A 
good example was the Media and Good Governance 
Conference undertaken by the Center for the Defense of 
the Freedom of Journalists under the patronage of King 
Abdullah.   There is no let-up in sight.  Grants for 
this fiscal year are expected to be close to one 
million dollars. 
 
The number of executed grants, most of which went to 
NGOs and other civic organizations, totaled 138 grants 
in the amount of $600 - $200,000 each.  These grants 
supported conferences, workshops and multi-phase 
exchange programs that strengthened civil society, 
press freedom, women's empowerment and other goals 
defined by President Bush under the Arab Reform agenda. 
 
3. Justification continued: In addition, during the 
last year, Thair also drafted and managed travel grants 
for hundreds of individual Iraqi International Visitors 
and other USG-funded Iraqi travelers amounting to 
hundreds of thousands of dollars. These programs were a 
key component of our efforts to rebuild Iraq. 
 
Thair's work went far beyond clerical duties or 
bookkeeping.   After evaluating the proposal concept in 
coordination with American officers from the Mission's 
MEPI committee, he helped negotiate the budget and 
counseled the successful grantees on their reporting 
and follow-up obligations.  Through shrewd bargaining 
and extensive knowledge of local cost structures, he 
saved the USG thousands of dollars. 
 
In addition to the grants managed by the Public Affairs 
Section, Thair drafts and clears most of the grants 
issued by other Mission offices, for example the 
Political Section, and guides them on government 
regulations. 
 
Thair handles the grants workload in addition to a wide 
range of other responsibilities, from overseeing the 
administration of our American Language Center to 
managing the 2 million dollar Public Affairs budget. 
 
HALE