J.E. Austin Associates, Inc. (JAA) is delighted to announce the appointment of Joe Lowther as Executive Vice President. Mr. Lowther brings a track record of leadership and success as an executive in international development and an implementer of innovative economic growth projects.

Mr. Lowther’s expertise expands J.E. Austin’s capabilities for the design and implementation of economic growth projects globally. He brings legal as well as management skill to policy, business environment, and institutional reform. He is expert in the capacity building required for governments to implement economic initiatives from a legal, institutional, and management perspective.

Mr. Lowther stated: “I’ve worked closely with the J.E. Austin team for two decades as a partner on projects and have always admired their dedication to reducing poverty through private sector-driven development, as well as the intellectual rigor that they apply to developing and applying innovative development solutions.”

Joe has more than 20 years of experience as one of international development’s leading thinkers and practitioners in policy reform, business environment, governance, and rule of law programs. He spent 17 years with Cardno, including as President for Cardno International Development USA. He has managed projects in over 15 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, including as Chief of Party for USAID projects in five countries. Most recently, as CoP for the USAID Serbia Business Enabling Project, he developed an innovative approach to policy reform that helped transform Serbia’s business environment and contributed to record FDI and sustained economic growth. Mr. Lowther has co-authored manuals for the World Bank and OECD that have been widely used for capacity building and training programs for governments.

He attained both a Law Degree and M.B.A. from Whittier College, following undergraduate studies in business administration at the University of Southern California. He practiced law for 11 years at one of Los Angeles’ leading commercial law firms, representing banks and corporations in transactions and litigation.

JAA’s President Kevin Murphy and Executive Vice President, Martin Webber are thrilled to have Mr. Lowther as part of their senior management team. Mr. Murphy noted that, “Mr. Lowther will help us execute an aggressive growth strategy” while Mr. Webber observed that “Joe’s expertise in policy implementation and institutional development enables us to expand our service offerings for our clients.”