Newman served as the Assistant Administrator for Africa of the United States Agency for International Development from November 2001 to June 2004. USAID is the government agency that administers economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide. On June 24, 2004 President George W. Bush appointed her Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. She had a central role in several aspects of U.S. Africa policy. She helped determine that "genocide has been committed" in Sudan's Darfur region for Colin Powell's speech in September 2004.