Polly Byers

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT POLLY BYERS

Ms. Byers has worked in the field of international development for over thirty years, focused on peacebuilding, and improving the effectiveness and collaborative approaches in humanitarian and development assistance. Ms. Byers serves as the Executive Director of the Karuna Center for Peacebuilding, an NGO focusing on bridging divides and fostering reconciliation and dialogue in countries affected by violence for over 25 years. Prior to heading the Karuna Center Ms. Byers served as Executive Director of CDA Collaborative Learning, and NGO in Cambridge Mass focused on enhancing the effectiveness of international assistance. Ms. Byers serve as the Acting Director and Deputy Director of the Office of Policy at USAID, advising Agency leadership on key policy issues, focusing particularly on fragile states. Over her career, Ms. Byers has managed and coordinated programs and policy for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of State, the U.S. Congress, and the World Bank. Highlights include successfully changing U.S. humanitarian policy in the Horn of Africa while on the Congressional U.S. Select Committee on Hunger, managing USAID\'s largest humanitarian programs in Africa for the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), leading the U.S. government\'s international effort to combat conflict diamonds, and serving as a senior interagency policy advisor for USAID on major initiatives, including the development of the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Ms. Byers has also consulted for a range of international organizations, including UNDP, UNICEF, FAO, the World Bank, USAID, the Dept. of State, and numerous NGOs, including Save the Children and Oxfam. Work included developing strategies and policies on building resilience, disaster risk reduction, gender issues, and child protection, as well as undertaking evaluations of U.S. aid programs, management assessments, and advising on organizational development and improving organizational and programmatic cohesion and coherence.