Jennifer McCleary-Sills

Background and Education

Jennifer McCleary-Sills is a social and behavioral scientist with over 15 years of experience in international development.  She is Director of Gender Violence and Rights at the International Center for Research on Women, where she designs and conducts evaluations of interventions in a wide range of sectors, including gender-based violence prevention and response, access to justice, sexual and reproductive health, and demobilization, disarmament, and reintegration (DDR) programs.  Her current research focuses on the social causes and consequences of violence, what works to prevent it, and its social and economic costs.

Dr. McCleary-Sills has previously conducted research and program evaluation at the World Health Organization, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, and the World Bank Group.  During her time at the World Bank, she co-authored the book Voice & Agency: Empowering Women and Girls for Shared Prosperity, and served as the Bank’s lead on the multi-sectoral Violence Against Women and Girls Resource Guide. She has authored numerous journal articles and institutional papers and reports.
 
She has worked and lived in dozens of countries in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and the Pacific Islands, and has extensive experience conducting research and program evaluation for a wide range of donors, including the United States Agency for International Development; US Department of Labor; Inter-American Development Bank; United Nations Development Programme; United Nations Population Fund, and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.  She holds honors degrees from Yale University (BA) and the Boston University School of Public Health (MPH), and a PhD from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.