Who are you, and what is your role at Tetra Tech International Development?
Hi, I am David Letichevsky. My role is Team Leader for the Vanuatu Australia Education Support Program (VAESP) based in Port Vila, Vanuatu.
In your role, how do you contribute to creating a positive impact?
Tetra Tech nurtures an environment conducive to open exchange of ideas and respect for evidence. I try to use these company values in our workspace in Vanuatu, ensuring colleagues feel comfortable providing and receiving feedback. I believe that this type of environment fosters excellence. I promote it by conducting frequent open and frank conversations and ensuring that people feel safe.
Kindness is a specific value that I promote in the program. People need to be kind to each other, so everyone feels safe.
Why attracted you to Tetra Tech?
I chose to work for Tetra Tech because the role being advertised was very interesting and the possibility of being a Team Leader, in an Education Support Program – these are often more interesting than “projects”, where we follow a much narrower pathway. Working in Vanuatu was appealing and working with Tetra Tech was attractive, as a large and well-respected company with the potential for further opportunities.
Tell us about your career to date.
My academic background is in Economics of Education, from the Teachers College, at Columbia University in New York City. I have been working in the international education sector for more than 20 years. I have worked with grassroots and international NGOs, bilateral and multilateral development organizations, including DFAT, NRC, World Bank, Catalpa, UNESCO and more. I worked in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Middle East. I have been in Vanuatu, working with VAESP, for Tetra Tech since February 2020.
In parallel to my career and professional experience, I also have teaching experience. I taught graduate and secondary classes. I am fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Hebrew, Tetum and confident in Bislama. My career path is the result of a combination of luck – or chance – and planning. I guess I made sure to seize some good opportunities, but I suspect I may have also missed some other good ones.
My advice to someone looking for a career like mine would be to keep your eyes open for opportunities, and always seek learning.
