Melita Sawyer

Melita Sawyer is the Associate Director of the Fletcher Leadership Program for Financial Inclusion. Melita has worked in financial inclusion with commercial banks, microfinance banks, and NGOs in Africa, South and Central America, and Asia. In addition to working with the Fletcher Leadership Program for Financial Inclusion since 2011, she was part of the team that launched the Certificate in Digital Money program in partnership with the Digital Frontiers Institute. Prior to coming to Fletcher, Melita was Technical Advisor in Catholic Relief Services’ microfinance unit, working to expand savings groups for poor households. She has worked for banks such as Banco Solidario in Ecuador and Urwego Bank in Rwanda to develop and deliver savings and credit products for poorer clients. Melita earned her PhD from the Fletcher School, and her research focuses on the impact of financial services for the poor. Melita earned her master’s degree in international economics and international development at Johns Hopkins SAIS and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Stanford University.

Education

• Master of Arts, Johns Hopkins University, USA, 2007
• Bachelor of Arts, Stanford University, USA, 2002