Monthly Meeting – Tuesday, December 16, 2025: The State Department for a New Administration
Topic: The State Department for a New Administration
Speakers: Luke Zahner & Christopher La Fargue
Overview:
Luke Zahner is an international development and foreign policy professional whose career has spanned more than two decades and four continents. He has advised senior leaders, shaped strategy, and implemented programs at the intersection of governance, reconstruction, and economic recovery. A former U.S. Foreign Service Officer, Luke served in postings across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East—including Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Iraq, Madagascar, and Bangladesh, developing a specialization in post-conflict recovery and institutional strengthening.
From 2023 to 2025, Luke was Senior Advisor to former Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker when she served as President Biden’s Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery. In this capacity he helped design and launch key elements of the international recovery architecture, including the G7’s Ukraine Donor Coordination Platform and a project preparation facility to help Ukraine develop bankable investment projects. Prior to that, he served as Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to Secretary of transportation Pete Buttigieg, working at the intersection of infrastructure investment, national security, and global competitiveness.
Earlier in his government career, Luke was Deputy Spokesperson at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), helping shape public communication and crisis response during and after the invasion of Iraq. Before joining the State Department, he worked for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), including as part of its first postwar mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and later in roles focused on democratization, human rights, and institution-building across Southeast Europe.
Today, Luke combines policy work and thought leadership around governance, institutional resilience, and Ukraine’s long-term recovery. He is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and also serves as Senior Advisor to Deloitte on its Future of Ukraine Initiative, Senior Advisor for Business Development with Binda Consulting International, and a member of the Advisory Board for Alinea International’s Recovery for All project in Ukraine.
Luke speaks German, French, Norwegian, and conversational Serbo-Croatian and Macedonian. A native of Connecticut, he holds degrees from Johns Hopkins SAIS, George Washington University, and American University. He lives in Maryland with his husband, a former USAID Foreign Service Officer, and their son.
Christopher La Fargue is a seasoned international development professional and former Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where he served for two decades in senior leadership roles across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. His overseas postings included Libya, Iraq, Madagascar, Thailand, Bangladesh, and the West Bank-Gaza missions, with responsibilities spanning democracy and governance, clean energy, disaster response, and post-conflict stabilization. Most recently, he served as USAID’s Chief of Mission (the equivalent of U.S. ambassador) for Libya, leading a multi-sectoral team advancing economic governance, entrepreneurship, and independent media. Prior to joining USAID, he worked as a management consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM.
Now an independent consultant, Mr. La Fargue advises on tri-sector collaboration and partnerships that bridge government, business, and civil society. He holds degrees from Georgetown University, Louisiana State University, and the Université de Lausanne in Switzerland, and completed graduate coursework at Singapore Management University. Fluent in French and English, he brings a global perspective shaped by 25 years of experience managing programs that strengthen democratic institutions, support resilient
economies, and promote inclusive growth.
FPA Coordinator: Shirley Keith Knox
Venue:
The Susquehanna Club
Menu:
Top Round Of Beef
Oven Roasted Potatoes
Glazed Carrots
Salad
Pumpkin Pie
Social hour & Dinner Information
5:30-6:30 Social Hour
6:30-7:30 Dinner
7:30—Announcement, Speaker followed by question and answer session
Cost for FPA Members: $38.00
Non-Members: $43.00 – We Welcome Non-members to attend dinners.
There is no charge for anyone to attend the program presentation only, beginning at 7:30 PM.
Dinner reservations must be made NO LATER THAN 10 a.m. Thursday, December 11. Because the Susquehanna Club has no back-up kitchen, if you come for dinner without a reservation or register late, we may not have a meal for you.
To make a reservation, fill out the form below or telephone or email Shirley Keith Knox at skeithknox@comcast.net or (717) 319-4512.
To CANCEL your reservation, please telephone or email Shirley Keith Knox at skeithknox@comcast.net or (717) 319-4512. Please be sure to give your complete name, address and phone number.
