Rachel Surkin

About Rachel Surkin

As the Consortium Lead for USAID\'s global Youth Excel program, I\'m privileged to work with a consortium of amazing organizations - including several youth-led organizations - who are committed to helping to change how development works for young people and using knowledge, data, and learning to do so. At IREX since 2008, I\'ve managed programs, designed new projects, and I contribute to IREX’s learning and innovation agenda. I\'m pasionnate about finding new approaches for holistic, youth-led, locally sustainable programming across all of IREX’s sectors. Since arriving at IREX in 2008, I\'ve designed, led, and provided oversight to a portfolio of youth, leadership, and education programs funded by USAID, the Department of State, and privately funded projects implemented in the Middle East, Eurasia, Eastern Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa. As Deputy Director for Education Programs, I led IREX’s new business development efforts for education and youth programs and provided technical advising across its portfolios. I served as co-chair for the Alliance for International Youth Development’s Effective Practices Working Group and actively contributes to a number of youth development associations. From 20••••13, I served as the co-chair for the Society for International Development – Washington’s Youth in Development Workgroup.

Experience

1. Senior Technical Advisor

   IREX

   Oct 2018 — Present

Education

• Franklin & Marshall College

  BA, English and French

  1992 — 1996

• The George Washington University

  MA, International Education Program

  2001 — 2004