Leora Ward is the Gender in Emergencies Director at CARE USA and has more than 15 years of experience working on gender equality, violence against women and girls, and PSEA issues in humanitarian contexts. She most recently served as Senior Social Development Specialist at the World Bank, and before that as a Program Analyst with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration where she was responsible for overseeing gender equality policy and programs in refugee and mixed migration crises.
She has also worked as Senior Technical Advisor at the International Rescue Committee, where she provided strategic direction, thought leadership, and technical support to women’s protection and empowerment programs in numerous countries experiencing conflict and displacement around the world.
Leora has a Master’s degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University and in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. She currently teaches international women’s rights and gender-based violence in emergencies courses as an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University.