Lauren Herzer Risi Email & Phone Number

Washington, Dc, Us

I currently lead the Environmental Change and Security Program, coordinating government, NGOs, and academia to align and integrate their response to development challenges. To date, I’ve developed and executed 100+ public events, conferences, and private workshops sharing research, distilling insights, and informing program and policy approaches at the intersection of the environment, health, gender, and security. In this role I’ve managed multiple teams across projects, identifying vital staffing needs and aligning strategy and communications with the Wilson Center’s broader strategic vision.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

As Senior Program Manager, I represented the Wilson Center at domestic and international conferences to share new research, insights, and analysis with policy leads, practitioners, researchers, business leaders, and donors.Sitting at the intersection of research and practice, I authored, edited, and managed multiple timely policy briefs, practitioner toolkits, and reports to inform conflict-sensitive approaches to development. As a Contributing Editor to New Security Beat - www.newsecuritybeat.org - I also composed blog posts, produced podcasts, and a short animation to reach and inform diverse communities of practice.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

In this role, I split my time supporting the Urban and Environmental Change and Security programs to develop and execute public and private events that highlighted challenges to global development and explore innovative solutions through multi-sectoral, integrated approaches. This included planning a series of meetings in advance of the World Urban forum and, in partnership with the Fetzer Institute, implementing workshops that gathered international experts on environmental peacebuilding and post-disaster community resilience.A highlight of this position was when I had the opportunity to identify, elevate, and connect emerging leaders with established leaders in their field. This was accomplished through a graduate student paper competition, co-sponsored by USAID, Cities Alliance, the World Bank, and the International Housing Coalition. I supervised the publication of winning papers and oversaw the planning of public seminars to feature presentations by the winning authors.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

In my first role with the Wilson Center, I assisted in developing and executing public events and workshops focused on urban challenges and international development. In a rapidly urbanizing world, 2008 marked the first year in history that more people lived in cities than rural communities. I gathered experts to answer pressing questions like: how can the international development community support sustainable urbanization; what is the impact of rural-to-urban migration and how can we ensure access to critical services in informal settlements; and how does migration to cities impact relationships between communities?Distilling this research and innovation, I helped elevate best practices for service provision, reception for new migrants, and the importance of urbanization on the global stage, overall.

Bulgaria

As a Peace Corps volunteer, I delivered an English curriculum to elementary and middle school learners with little working knowledge of the language. Seeing a gap in the ability for school-age children to connect, I also co-developed a weeklong leadership training for teens across the country to build friendships and allow for age-appropriate networking opportunities. In addition to my primary role, I also wrote and won a grant from USAID to renovate the schoolyard, providing increased safety and opportunities for outdoor learning. Subsequently I served as a grant writing mentor and made funding recommendations on behalf of USAID.

Master'S Degree, Environmental Security & Peace

Bachelor'S Degree, History

Semester At Sea