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More than 326,000 people call Dadaab听home, but the vast sea of tents in the听Kenyan desert is really the opposite. It鈥檚听the world鈥檚 largest refugee camp, and its听occupants, mostly Somalians, must eventually听return whence they fled or find a听more hospitable place to take them in.

Gayle Smith (Engl鈥�78), head of the听U.S. Agency for International Development听(USAID), has been visiting places听like it for decades.听

鈥淧eople come away from a refugee听camp with two thoughts oftentimes,鈥� she听said in an interview in her Washington听office, a few blocks from the White听House. 鈥淥ne is a level of shock. They听imagine what it would mean if we suddenly听had to live in a field with a blue tarp听and just wait. You鈥檒l talk to a lot of people听who are despairing, but you鈥檒l talk to as听many people who, if we can help get them听back home or help them where they are听now, are pretty resilient. I think that鈥檚听sometimes missed. On one level you听think 鈥榯his is horrible,鈥� on another level听you walk away saying, 鈥楾hose 听are some of听the most courageous, strongest, amazing听people I鈥檝e ever met.鈥欌�澨�

USAID is the federal agency charged听with international development 鈥斕齢elping people outside the U.S. improve听basic local living conditions and recover听from catastrophe, including mass violence,听natural disasters, extreme poverty,听famine and disease.听

Smith 鈥� nominated by President听Obama to run the agency and confirmed听by the Senate 鈥� took charge last year听amid unprecedented demand for its听expertise and resources.

In June, the United Nations reported听that, for the first time in history, the number听of people displaced from their homes听due to conflict and persecution alone听exceeded 60 million.听

鈥淲e respond to pretty much every听humanitarian crisis on the planet,鈥� said听Smith, 60. 鈥淭here are the really big ones听that get the world鈥檚 attention. Those听range from Syria to the Ebola epidemic听to the earthquake in Nepal. Then there听are the smaller ones, like a local food听emergency in one small part of a small听country. What鈥檚 happening today is that听there are more crises at the same time.听Many of them are more complex than听some in the past, and they鈥檙e chronic 鈥斕齮hey鈥檙e lasting longer.鈥澨�

She speaks from experience.听

After CU, Smith spent 20 years as a听journalist reporting from Africa, then听joined the National Security Council听(NSC) during the Clinton Administration,听focusing on African affairs. She consulted听for the World Bank and UNICEF and听held high-level USAID positions. She鈥檇听rejoined the NSC when Obama nominated听her for USAID鈥檚 top job.

鈥淕ayle鈥檚 energy and passion have been听instrumental in guiding America鈥檚 international听development policy, responding听to a record number of humanitarian听crises worldwide, and ensuring that听development remains at the forefront听of the national security agenda at a time听when USAID is more indispensable听than ever,鈥� the president said then.听

Sworn in on Dec. 2, Smith assumed听leadership of nearly 10,000 employees听in 100 countries, many of them volatile听and dangerous.听

She grew up in Columbus, Ohio. Math听had always been a strength, but she听majored in English at CU and eventually听became a journalist. While traveling in听Greece and Egypt after graduation she听grew interested in international issues.听

鈥淭he more I saw, the more questions I听had,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd the more I wanted to听go chase down the answers.鈥澨�

For the next two decades she hopscotched听across Africa, reporting on听wars, famines, refugees and other issues听as a freelancer. In the early 1990s she听was approached by Clinton鈥檚 transition听team and served as senior director for听African affairs at the NSC and as senior听advisor to the administrator and chief听of staff of USAID.听

It鈥檚 a sunny but not particularly muggy听June day in Washington six months听into Smith鈥檚 tenure as USAID chief.听She鈥檚 sitting in her office on the sixth听floor of the Ronald Reagan Building and听International Trade Center, a gleaming听modern edifice set among neoclassical听buildings along Pennsylvania Avenue. A听cherished photo of her late parents taken听in Nova Scotia rests on an end table.听Instead of a nameplate on her desk, two听signs face visitors. One says 鈥淕irl Boss,鈥澨齮he other 鈥淟uGyiMaMa,鈥� which means听the same in Burmese.听

The more I saw, the more questions I had.听

Smith had recently returned from听Turkey, where she dropped in on a听USAID Disaster Assistance Response听Team (DART) charged, in part, with听helping manage the epic refugee听exodus from Syria. DARTs are the听agency鈥檚 first unit of response when听catastrophe strikes and typically听include experts in logistics, nutrition,听water, sanitation, hygiene, emergency听shelter, plus military advisors.听

Historically, USAID has dispatched听a few DART teams every year, but the听number has been rising. Working on the听ground with the United Nations and听other aid organizations, they can move听money and import supplies quickly.听

鈥淲e are the world鈥檚 leading donor to听humanitarian crises, and we are almost听every time the first and the fastest to听respond, whether it鈥檚 a war, an earthquake,听or some other epidemic,鈥� she says.听

There鈥檚 plenty of work ahead for听USAID. Kenya has announced it intends听to close Dadaab. Civil war rages in Syria.听Typhoons, drought and, alas, armed听conflicts, are inevitable.

When they happen, Smith believes听people remember those who are there听to lend a helping hand: 鈥淚 have found听that everywhere I travel, regular people,听regardless of the politics of the day, remember听that it鈥檚 America that stands up.鈥澨�

Top photo:听漏 Thomas Trutsche/Getty Images; Above: Courtesy Gayle Smith