Arlington, VA — June 24, 2010 —  International Relief and Development (IRD) is pleased to announce that Jason P. Matechak has joined the organization as General Counsel. In this role, Matechak will provide leadership and legal counsel on government contracts and grants, corporate, compliance, intellectual property, real estate, and employment matters. Matechak is extremely familiar with the work of IRD, having served as outside counsel with the organization for more than 3 years as a partner of Reed Smith LLP. Matechak will also maintain IRD’s relationships with Reed Smith and other law firms around the world for additional legal support and special projects.

Matechak brings more than 12 years of legal experience to IRD, together with 7 years at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as a Contract Negotiator and Legal Reform Officer. Most recently, his practice at Reed Smith involved International Regulations/Transactions and Public Procurement/Government Contracts. Matechak has served clients and managed development projects worldwide and has worked on short term assignments in Bangladesh, Bolivia, China, Egypt, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Morocco, Nepal, Peru, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Tunisia.

In addition, Matechak served as the General Counsel/Legal Advisor to the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), which is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Rome, Italy, dedicated to promoting the rule of law through training and technical assistance for lawyers and judges in developing countries. In this role, he was responsible for advising the Director General and Board of Directors on a wide range of legal issues facing the organization. He also facilitated the design and delivery of legal training programs, covering issues such as anti-corruption, private sector infrastructure development, and international public procurement, to lawyers and judges from more than 40 developing countries.

Matechak graduated from George Mason University School of Law. He also holds a Master’s Degree in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University; a Graduate Certificate in the Economics of European Integration from l’Universite Catholique de Louvain, Belgium; and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, with minors in Russian Studies and Economics, from James Madison University.