Tracy O’Heir is the program officer for international funds at the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. In this role, she leads and manages international disaster recovery funds, working collaboratively with coalitions and local community organizations to enhance the reach and effectiveness of CDP’s international grantmaking.
Before joining CDP in May 2025, Tracy led international humanitarian response programs and operations for USAID for nearly 14 years. During this time, she managed the U.S. response to humanitarian crises across Africa and led USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance Office of Technical and Program Quality. She served on USAID Disaster Response Management Teams for multiple complex emergencies and disasters, including Syria, South Sudan, Ethiopia drought, Ebola outbreaks in West Africa and DRC, N.E. Nigeria, drought in the Horn of Africa, complex emergency in Haiti, and more.
She previously worked for InterAction as a senior program manager for humanitarian practice and in country-level leadership positions with Jesuit Refugee Service and Catholic Relief Services in Sudan, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda.
Tracy’s first career was in social work with a focus on medical case management for people living with HIV, including serving as a case manager at a center for people living with AIDS as a Jesuit volunteer in Houston, Texas.
Tracy holds a master’s from Fordham University in international political economy and development, a bachelor’s in social work from St. Louis University, and studied Arabic at the American University in Cairo.