Director
U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), Grants and Fellowships
District of Columbia
Owned end-to-end grants/fellowships operating model (solicitation, templates, compliance, review, award, monitoring, closeout) for $2M annual portfolio, ensuring on-time decisions and clean documentation
Implemented and scaled Fluxx workflows (intake, review, decision, and reporting), led data migration and records integration, and improved visibility into deliverables, deadlines, and compliance status
Improved implementation of the annual Peace Scholar Fellowship workshop for 20+ PhD candidates, facilitating pitch coaching sessions focused on translating research into policy impact. Grew top-of-funnel pipeline through targeted outreach to underserved universities, driving record application volume (2024 and 2025) and improving cohort diversity
Launched and scaled partnerships with DoD-Minerva Research Initiative and the Defense Security Cooperation University to expand fellowship offerings, aligning program and stakeholder priorities while maintaining perfect compliance rate
Built the new John Lewis Fellowships program, enabling international peacebuilders to engage in a two-month research and training residency in Washington, DC
Drove Executive and Board alignment by authoring decision memos and presenting grant/fellowship portfolios for approval
Spearheaded new Congressionally-directed grant competition focusing on supporting democracy and human rights research initiatives in conflict zones worldwide, coordinating agreement templates and compliance requirements
Represented USIP at public fora including international thematic and academic conferences such as the Environmental Peacebuilding and International Studies Association Conferences
Conducted grant monitoring missions across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, analyzing program and financial performance against success criteria, delivering M&E reports to leadership, and authoring analytical articles on grantee’s fieldwork
