Monica V. Kladakis

Managing Director, Threshold Programs

Monica Vegas Kladakis joined the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) as Managing Director for Congressional Affairs and Threshold Programs in May 2005.  In March 2006, she became Managing Director, Threshold Program, an MCC initiative which is designed to assist countries that are committed to undertaking the reforms necessary to improve policy performance in those indicators on which they were deficient so that they may eventually qualify for MCC Compact funding.

Ms. Kladakis has had a distinguished career of over 13 years in public service in both the executive and legislative branches of government.  Prior to joining MCC, she served in the White House as Special Assistant to the President and Associate Director for Presidential Personnel.  She recruited, interviewed, and recommended candidates to the President for political appointment to a range of national security agencies, including the Departments of State, Defense and Energy, as well as Presidential boards, commissions, and delegations.  She first joined the Bush Administration as Deputy Associate Director for the Office of Presidential Personnel in January 2001, covering the national security portfolio.  From October 2001 to May 2003, she served as Senior Coordinator for Democracy and Human Rights Promotion in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the State Department.  In this role, she developed and coordinated policy on a wide range of global human rights and democracy issues, as well as managed the administration of a grant program to promote democracy and human rights initiatives around the world.

Prior to joining the Administration, Ms. Kladakis spent two years as Russia Program Officer for the International Republican Institute, a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote democracy throughout the world. 

Ms. Kladakis worked on Capitol Hill for over seven years in various capacities including in the Majority Whip’s office as a Floor Assistant and as an Appropriations Committee aide, with responsibility for implementing the Majority Whip’s goals on foreign operations, defense, transportation, and other appropriations matters.

Ms. Kladakis received a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from Georgetown University.  She speaks Spanish fluently, and Russian and French conversationally.  Monica and her husband, Dr. Alex Kladakis, reside in Vienna, VA, and they have two children.