Phillip M. Ayoub is a professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science at University College London and an expert on LGBTI rights advocacy. Dr. Ayoub served with Aurora Global Advisors as researcher and co-author of the “Guide to Inclusion of LGBTI People in Development and Foreign Policy” with Outright Action International. He is the author of four books and volumes, including When States Come Out: Europe’s Sexual Minorities and the Politics of Visibility (Cambridge University Press, 2016), and his articles have appeared in the American Political Science Review, Comparative Political Studies, Social Forces, the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, the European Journal of International Relations, the European Journal of Political Research, the Review of International Studies, Mobilization, the European Political Science Review, the Journal of Human Rights, Social Politics, Political Research Quarterly, and Social Movement Studies, among others.

Karen is an applied social scientist, who brings more than 20 years of analysis, design, monitoring, evaluation and learning (ADMEL) and strategic planning experience on a range of international development and domestic issues. She has served as a thought partner to U.S. government agencies, donors, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on evidence-based program strategy, management, and learning using a systems and complexity-aware lens. Karen works closely with organizations during all stages of their program cycle: including conducting needs assessment; designing programs and its strategic frameworks; drafting funding proposals; developing results-oriented metrics and analytical tools; collecting, analyzing, and reporting on progress towards their strategic goals; and providing on-going ADMEL training and individualized technical assistance to organizations. Her area expertise includes human rights and governance, civil society empowerment, women’s rights, cross-cultural issues, and improving the lives and well-being of vulnerable and marginalized populations.

Pamela has over 20 years of professional experience working in the local and federal government and the education sector. For several years she worked at the U.S. State Department in the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, managing democracy and human rights programs in Sub-Saharan Africa and global women’s rights programs. Her expertise includes policy analysis, program and grant management, strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, fundraising, community organizing, and fostering collaborative partnerships with diverse stakeholders. She has a Master’s of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) from Georgetown University.

Hope is a first-year Master of Public Administration student at the University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy & Governance.  She previously worked at the Washington State House of Representatives, supporting research analysts and attorneys in the nonpartisan committee services office.  She held committee assignments with Civil Rights & Judiciary, Environment & Energy, and Children, Youth, & Families.  She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington, with a double major in Political Science and Law, Societies, & Justice, while participating in the Interdisciplinary Honors Program.  While an undergraduate, she interned with two nonprofit organizations, the World Affairs Council of Seattle and the Human Rights Defense Center.