Cory O’Hara is an advisor to the Milken Institute, where he supports capital mobilization in Africa. He is a trade and economic development expert and former diplomat with over 20 years of experience managing teams and programs that increase trade, investment, and private-sector growth in developing countries. 

O’Hara most recently served as director of the Office of Economic Growth and Integration at the United States Agency for International Development in Kenya from 2021 to 2025, where he managed a 40-person team and a more than $500 million portfolio of activities across 10 countries. During that time, he spearheaded initiatives that mobilized over $1 billion in financing for businesses, increased agricultural sales and manufacturing exports by more than $500 million, and increased incomes for 800,000 smallholder farmers.

Having served in East and West Africa for a decade, O’Hara brings extensive knowledge of the African agricultural and manufacturing sectors. His career includes forging hundreds of partnerships with companies and financial institutions to enhance supply chains, improve agricultural competitiveness, increase local value-addition, and strengthen sector-specific policy advocacy. O’Hara has a master’s degree in international economic policy from the University of Maryland.