John Barsa


John Barsa is an American businessman and government official and political candidate serving as the Acting Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development. Barsa was nominated to the role in April 2020 after the resignation of Mark Andrew Green.

Early life and education

The son of Cuban refugees, Barsa was raised in Miami, Florida. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from Florida International University and a graduate diploma from the Syracuse University National Security Management Fellows Program at Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Career

Barsa began his career working in the private defense sector. Barsa then joined the United States Army Reserve and served on the staff of U.S. Representative Lincoln Díaz-Balart. During the George W. Bush Administration, Barsa worked as a legislative affairs specialist at NASA. After the United States Department of Homeland Security was established, Barsa was selected to serve as the founding director of the department's Office of Public Liaison. Barsa then founded Barsa Strategies, a defense lobbying firm. In 2011, Barsa was a Republican candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates, losing to incumbent Democrat Scott Surovell.
Barsa served on the Donald Trump transition team and later served as an assistant to then-DHS director John F. Kelly. Barsa also coordinated relief efforts with the Federal Emergency Management Agency after Hurricane Irma. Barsa was later transferred to the United States Agency for International Development to serve as Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean. He was selected to serve as acting administrator after the resignation of Mark Andrew Green.

Personal life

Barsa is married to Lisa Piraneo Barsa, a lobbyist for ACT! for America. The couple have two children. In 2019, Piraneo's relationship with Barsa was scrutinized after an ACT! for America poster featuring Congresswoman Ilhan Omar superimposed over a picture of the Twin Towers falling was hung in the West Virginia House of Delegates.