HomeMy WebLinkAboutSalzmann, Mario (4)
MARIO SALZMANN
Summary of Accomplishments
Restructured three UN offices resulting in increased operations in all development sectors;
Negotiated obtained over $ 250 million in new funding for development activities
Designed, approved, and implemented over 600 development projects over a 30 year period
Negotiated, established and administered procurement units handling over $ 1.0 Billion for different types of goods
and services on behalf of governments in Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay
Participated in negotiating legal aspects, organizing, and administering government unit providing emergency
assistance to Bolivia with over 200 international experts in economic policy, state reform, good governance, drug
eradication, social policy, and legislative strengthening;
Negotiated establishment of unit to carry out judicial reform in Paraguay which included procurement of goods and
services for the construction and rehabilitation of 200 buildings;
Negotiated all legal aspects, and administered a school nutrition program which provided lunch and breakfast to poor
children in different parts of Ecuador. Over 80 million high calorie rations were distributed in the first months. The
health and the educational indicators of many indigent children improved dramatically in short order.
Relevant Professional Experience
Chief of Party, Roots of Peace, Luanda, Angola.
Advised in Post-conflict Angola in formulating economic development programs targeting areas which were heavily mined
during their long years of civil war. These post-conflict programs included the resettlement of former combatants and their
families which were either internally displaced persons or refugees in neighboring countries. This short-term assignment,
which also included analyzing the viability of opening an office in the capital, Luanda ended in February of 2006.
Chief of Party Adviser on Reconstruction, Chemonics International, Indonesia.
Advise to the government of Indonesia and Chemonics on institutional aspects of recovery, re-organization, and economic
development in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster, which killed over 130,000 persons and left more than 300,000
homeless in Aceh Province. Short-term consultancy in 2005.
Executive Director, Fundación La Puerta, Tecate, México.
Designed and implemented community based projects in areas of environmental policy, education and land conservation
along the border between the U.S and Mexico. Established the first ever land conservation easement in Baja California
along the US border. (2000-2005)
Instructor, Public Policies in Developing Nations, Economics Department, San Diego StateUniversity.
The course emphasized: differences between growth and development; identifying failed states; new concepts of insecurity
including the role of drug trafficking and how it impacts negatively on the economic and political development of fragile
states; nation building; institutional reforms; links between values, policies, economics, and the reform process; (2001-
2003)
United Nations Development Program (UNDP) 1971-2000
Resident Representative, UNDP, Asuncion, Paraguay (1997-2000)
Served as the Representative and Coordinator of the UN system for technical and operational activities in the country:
Negotiated new legal agreement framework between the UN and the GOP;
Executed major restructuring of the UN office to emphasize service orientation and customer satisfaction;
Negotiated a new framework for technical cooperation for the UN and a five year program of activities
Increased level of cooperation activities and programs from $ 7 million to about $ 20 million per year with the same
level of program and administrative staff;
Negotiated and administered program to construct and improve 200 buildings for the judicial system with $ 50 million
from a World Bank loan to improve the rule of law and administration of justice;
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Resident Representative, UNDP, Quito, Ecuador (1991-1996)
Serves as the Representative and Coordinator of the UN system for technical and operational activities in the country:
Increased program funding from $ 30 million to $ 150 million by negotiating resources with the World Bank and the
Inter American Development Bank;
Negotiated, established and administered a procurement unit to handle complex procurement for a World Bank loan
to improve education, including school construction;
Supervised a staff of thirty program and administrative officials;
Coordinated UN system activities with the Government and other agencies of the UN system as well as other bilateral
donors, NGOs, and civil society organizations;
Negotiated and administered a successful human rights awareness training program for the armed forces, one of the
pioneering efforts in that field;
Reorganized the office to make it more responsive to the needs of the client, prioritizing customer services and
satisfaction. One of those needs was to improve the quality of project execution;
Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP, La Paz, Bolivia (1985-1990)
During a period of political, social and economic crisis (with inflation running at 20,000%) this office became a “laboratory”
for new modalities and new ways of providing assistance. The overriding objective of all the programs was to bring about
political and social stability, with economic growth. Since there was no functional state machinery, the UN became the focal
point for many of the normal functions of a state.
Major contributions during this period were:
Restructured the UNDP office to operate under emergency conditions;
Designed and put in place a new mechanism to quickly hire 500 staff for government functions;
Assisted in the design of legal framework and negotiation of a new project to allow the UN to procure goods and
services on behalf of the government totaling 300 million dollars in the first two years This project became a
precursor for similar projects in other countries in the region;
Created a support structure that provide support services to over 100 international experts and consultants in
economic policy, public finance, audit, trade policy, mining regulations, privatization, social security, state reform
and agriculture;
Assisted in the administration of a project to reduce cultivation of coca leaf used in the production of cocaine.
Program Officer, UNDP Nicaragua, Brazil, Bolivia, and NY (1971-1985)
Designed and implemented over 200 technical cooperation projects. This entailed: preparation of the legal framework;
analyzing institutional capacity of governments to absorb and make good use of assistance provided; analyze project
proposal for internal coherence using the logical framework for design; coordinate activities with other donors, and
NGO’s who were working in the same field; identified key success criteria and ways of measuring progress; prepared
and revised budgets annually or more frequently if warranted; identified and recruited experts.
Other related Work Experience
Adviser on grant writing, and grant negotiation, Smart Minded Robotics, Chula Vista, CA., a for profit institution engaged
in STEM based Robotics teaching to kids K-6, since 2011.
Interpreter, Accent on Languages, Berkeley, CA. Part time, Spanish/English interpreter, since 2011.
interpreter, Language Line Inc, Monterey, CA. Spanish/English interpreter, 2009-2011.
Intern Goodrich Aerostructures Group, Chula Vista, CA -Supply Chain Management Contract Admin. Group 2008
Volunteer, Office of the Public Defender in conjunction with Paralegal Program, Southwestern College. 2007.
Education
Master of Arts, History, Queens College, NY
Bachelor of Arts, Latin American Studies, Queens College, NY
Associate of Science, in Paralegal Studies (May 2008), Southwestern College, San Diego, CA.
April 10, 2019
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