Heather Lanigan is the Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East at the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). In this role, she leads the Agency’s efforts to fund infrastructure development across the region through project preparation and strategic partnerships that strengthen economic ties and advance U.S. commercial engagement. She also co-leads USTDA’s Digital Infrastructure Industry Team, helping to guide the Agency’s global strategy for digital infrastructure.

Ms. Lanigan has served as USTDA’s Country Manager for the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and Eurasia, and South Asia. In these roles, she helped catalyze energy, transportation, and digital infrastructure investments across more than 20 countries. Ms. Lanigan previously worked as the Economic Transition Coordinator at the U.S. Department of State, where she supported policy and assistance programs in Egypt, Libya, Syria, and Tunisia during a period of economic and political transition.

Ms. Lanigan holds a Master of Arts degree in Global Finance, Trade and Economic Integration from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Spanish from St. Lawrence University.