Dr. Rajiv Shah

One morning I got to the office and on the other line, it was like, hi Raj, this is Hillary Clinton. And I said, oh, hi, how are you? And she said, you know, I was talking to the president and he and I would like you to run USAID. And my first week on the job, there was a massive earthquake, 8.0 in Haiti. And the president asked me to lead a global response.

One morning I got to the office and on the other line, it was like, hi Raj, this is Hillary Clinton. And I said, oh, hi, how are you? And she said, you know, I was talking to the president and he and I would like you to run USAID. And my first week on the job, there was a massive earthquake, 8.0 in Haiti. And the president asked me to lead a global response.

And that was my, I think, sixth day on the job.

And that was my, I think, sixth day on the job.

In the mid 90s, 11 and a half million kids under the age of five would die of very simple preventable diseases. And over a two year period, we actually modeled what it would cost. 20 years later, Nearly 20 million kids' lives have been saved. And that's a big bet. Big bet is saying, I don't just want to help a few people somewhere. I want to solve a problem, do it at massive scale.

In the mid 90s, 11 and a half million kids under the age of five would die of very simple preventable diseases. And over a two year period, we actually modeled what it would cost. 20 years later, Nearly 20 million kids' lives have been saved. And that's a big bet. Big bet is saying, I don't just want to help a few people somewhere. I want to solve a problem, do it at massive scale.

I think part of it was...

I think part of it was...

Thank you, Alana. It's so exciting to be with you.

Thank you, Alana. It's so exciting to be with you.

Well, you know, I was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I bleed blue. My parents were both immigrants from India. They both came here without a lot of resources, but with educational scholarships, my

Well, you know, I was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I bleed blue. My parents were both immigrants from India. They both came here without a lot of resources, but with educational scholarships, my

My grandfather actually emptied his retirement account to buy a one-way ticket for my dad to come to America because they had so much faith back then that this was the country where if you worked hard and played by the rules, the sky was the limit for you and more importantly, your children. That's my story.

My grandfather actually emptied his retirement account to buy a one-way ticket for my dad to come to America because they had so much faith back then that this was the country where if you worked hard and played by the rules, the sky was the limit for you and more importantly, your children. That's my story.

I grew up in a tight-knit immigrant community outside of Detroit, primarily a few years in Philadelphia, outside of Philly. And my dad worked at Ford for 34 years. And so I'm a child of the auto industry. I always thought I'd grow up and get to design cars for a living, and it didn't quite work out that way.

I grew up in a tight-knit immigrant community outside of Detroit, primarily a few years in Philadelphia, outside of Philly. And my dad worked at Ford for 34 years. And so I'm a child of the auto industry. I always thought I'd grow up and get to design cars for a living, and it didn't quite work out that way.

Actually, even earlier than that, as a kid, I was told by my family, my community, that I should be an engineer or a doctor. I kind of found both interesting. But over time, I got more and more interested in policy and service. I was, I think, a junior in high school watching on a day off an extraordinary visit when Nelson Mandela came to Detroit.

Actually, even earlier than that, as a kid, I was told by my family, my community, that I should be an engineer or a doctor. I kind of found both interesting. But over time, I got more and more interested in policy and service. I was, I think, a junior in high school watching on a day off an extraordinary visit when Nelson Mandela came to Detroit.

We never got in Detroit visitors like Nelson Mandela. That was for LA and New York and stuff like that, DC. I was just glued to the TV as he went to the Ford auto plant and talked to workers and then closed out his day at my favorite baseball stadium in America, Tiger Stadium, the old Tiger Stadium, to a packed crowd, talked about concepts like love and honor and values and service.

We never got in Detroit visitors like Nelson Mandela. That was for LA and New York and stuff like that, DC. I was just glued to the TV as he went to the Ford auto plant and talked to workers and then closed out his day at my favorite baseball stadium in America, Tiger Stadium, the old Tiger Stadium, to a packed crowd, talked about concepts like love and honor and values and service.