1. March 6, 20 10
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to commend to you Michael Kimes. I served as Michael's direct supervisor in
Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, where we both worked with Afghanistan
Vouchers for Increased Productive Agriculture (AVIPA+), a U.S. $360 million agricultural and
counterinsurgency program. Mr. Kimes served as the Director ofthe AVIPA+ Agricultural
Vouchers Program, and did a superb job, demonstrating expert technical knowledge of
agriculture as well as practical know how in program implementation. The AVIPA+
Agricultural Vouchers component which Mr. Kimes directed is a huge program with a total
budget of U.S. $38 million, and is a politically sensitive, programmatically complex, and
geographically disperse program serving 90,000 farmers in 4 districts with eight different
voucher packages. Mr. Kimes supervised a staff ofone expatriate and 30 local employees in
Lashkar Gah and the four AVIPA+ focus districts.
Mr. Kimes was responsible for the design, implementation, and monitoring of all aspects of the
Agricultural Vouchers Program. His responsibilities included preparing the technical
specifications of all voucher packages, costing out the voucher packages, preparing vendor lists,
projecting estimated beneficiaries for each voucher package by district, and preparing accurate
timelines for the procurement and distribution of all agricultural inputs. Mr. Kimes speaks well
and contributes in a variety of settings, and demonstrates good listening and writing skills. He is
a good team player, both as a team member and individually. He is a self-directed individual,
meeting deadlines and commitments with little or no supervision. Mr. Kimes consistently
supports his staff technically and professionally, and provides opportunities enabling staff
members to realize their full potential. He has promoted key staff members.
Time pressures preclude lengthy comments, but suffice it to say that Mr. Kimes is dedicated,
hard-working, competent, technically knowledgeable and experienced, conscientious, and a
person of the highest integrity. I give my personal and professional recommendation for Mr.
Kimes, without reservation or qualification.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require any further information concerning
Michael Kimes. My contact information is included below.
Sincerely,
a. (
Andrew Krefft
Provincial Agriculture Director/Helmand
Afghanistan Vouchers for Increased Production in Agriculture (AVIPA+)
akrefft@ird-av.org, andy_krefft@hotmail.com
93-706-719864,93-796-777617