Dara Lipton has over 15 years of progressive senior management experience overseeing and providing technical support to complex projects that support good governance, civil society strengthening, safer migration, and civic engagement for a variety of donors. She currently provides strategic leadership to IREX’s Communities and Governance Practice, serves as Project Director for the USAID-funded Comunitatea Mea (“My Community”) program in Moldova, and serves as a technical lead for IREX on Institutional Strengthening.

Since 2011, Dara has supported civil society, governance, media, and leadership development programs at IREX across Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa, engaging with diverse funders including USAID, the US Department of State, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and numerous private Foundations. Dara has extensive experience supporting large and complex field-based programs, has served as Interim Chief of Party for a $20 million USAID-funded governance program in Moldova, and spent three years at IREX’s country office in Monrovia supporting the management of a portfolio of civil society and media strengthening programs.