Stephen Carpenter has more than 20 years of experience in governance, public financial management (PFM), and anti-corruption. He currently serves as Vice President for Governance at DAI, where he oversees the provision of technical support and strategic guidance to USAID programs in PFM, local governance, citizen security, anti-corruption, and rule of law.

As Chief of Party of the USAID Transparent, Effective and Accountable Municipalities activity in Kosovo, Stephen led groundbreaking reforms in public procurement, helping the government transition from a corruption-prone paper-based process to a fully electronic procurement system, significantly enhancing transparency.

Prior to his assignment in Kosovo, Stephen was DAI’s Global Practice Leader for PFM and Accountability, overseeing a global portfolio focused on revenue and expenditure reforms. At Deloitte Consulting, he contributed to USAID-funded projects in accountability and institutional strengthening, including acting as Chief of Party on a national-level anti-corruption project in the Philippines and advising the Royal Court of Jordan on economic policy.

At Tetra Tech ARD, Stephen served as Director of the Democracy and Governance Sector, managing global governance projects and leading anti-corruption activities. His leadership as Chief of Party on the Jordan Customs Administration Modernization Program resulted in a remarkable 85% reduction in cargo processing times at key border crossings and a significant improvement in Jordan’s “Trade Freedom” score.

Stephen holds a Master of Science degree in International Commerce and Finance from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.