Lina Kilani
Congressional and Legislative Affairs Specialist @Inter-American Foundation
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WORK HISTORY
Congressional and Legislative Affairs Specialist @Inter-American Foundation
Washington, DC, US
Leads the agency’s congressional outreach strategy by tracking news, hearings, and legislation on U.S. foreign policy and appropriations. Identifies member priorities, key messaging, and engagement opportunities with relevant committees, including House Foreign Affairs, Senate Foreign Relations, and Appropriations Committees.Advises leadership on congressional matters, providing updates on appropriations, political risks, and emerging topics in international development. Prepares talking points, testimony, memos, and correspondence for engagements with Congress, the White House, federal agencies, and civil society.Builds bipartisan relationships with congressional staff to promote agency priorities, attending nearly 100 meetings annually and maintaining records via Salesforce. Organizes external events, including briefings, receptions, grantee showcases, and congressional staff delegation trips, coordinating logistics across teams for procurement, content, and ethics compliance.Engages interagency partners—including USAID, State, Peace Corps, and Development Finance Corporation—to align with government-wide initiatives like Feed the Future and the Root Causes Strategy. Coordinates with Communications to align messaging and mitigate political risk.Liaises with Programs and Learning & Impact teams to stay updated on agency activities, communicate congressional developments, and prepare for engagements. Ensures compliance with mandated reporting, including the Annual Management and Performance Reports, budgetary data, and financial/cybersecurity audits.
EDUCATION
Vanderbilt University
Bachelor’s Degree, Political Science and European Studies
University of St Andrews
International Relations
SKILLS
ABOUT LINA KILANI
Ambitious Congressional and Legislative Affairs Specialist blending prior programmatic and government expertise to effectively formulate congressional strategy, address foreign assistance issues, contextualize critical information, and engage key U.S. Government (USG) stakeholders in an increasingly complex political environment. Former Program Coordinator dedicated to the implementation of USG-funded civil society, human rights, and democracy-building programs in Latin America and the Caribbean through managing donor relations and requests, summarizing program impact, and engaging directly with local partners to execute community-based activities.Extensive prior experience as a congressional staffer focusing on furthering former Senator Lamar Alexander’s legislative priorities on issues related to Foreign Policy and Appropriations through a deep understanding of legislative and committee process and effective communication with Members of Congress, key congressional staff, constituents, and stakeholders. Excellent verbal and written communication ability, interpersonal skills, organizational expertise, and strong attention to detail achieved through previous research experience; drafting grant proposals, reports, and essential materials for senior-level staff; and handling management tasks in the office. Proven ability to take on new responsibilities and effectively evaluate both legislative issues and implementing strategy in high-pressure, fast-paced environments.
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