Kent Elizabeth Davis-Packard
Walnut Creek,California
Summary
Experienced educator, social entrepreneur, global relations expert, and NGO leader with over 20 years of experience in universities, US government, non-governmental organizations, and think tanks. Founder and president of Women Forward International (WFI), transforming graduate school education for diplomacy. Faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where established the SAIS Women Entrepreneurship Program. Former Foreign Service Officer (FSO) for the U.S. Department of State with proficiency in multiple languages including fluent French and Moroccan, advanced Spanish, intermediate Italian, and intermediate Modern Standard Arabic.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Founder and President
Women Forward International (WFI)
11.2019 - Current
- Founded global nonprofit, launched from the Aspen Institute, to elevate graduate education in foreign relations by having students oversee real-world research with clients on challenges such as food distribution, improving education and health in emerging nations, access to digital technology, economics for women entrepreneurs, sustainable fashion, and developing new markets for high-quality artisanship. Clients vary from large publicly owned corporations and startups to NGOs and cultural institutions in twelve countries globally. Countries of engagement have included India, Afghanistan, Uganda, Senegal, Malawi, Mexico, Qatar, the United Kingdom, Jamaica, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt. Two of our programs engage Cal students:
- Goldman School of Public Policy: Expanding efforts for a California Food Rescue Program to serve women and girls. The Goldman School of Public Policy graduate students researched ways a unique model of shared abundance could end hunger for women and girls, who constitute the most vulnerable population in the California Bay Area.
- UCB International House: Teaching new Americans about universal human rights. Presently teaching nine-session secondary school curriculum on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for new Americans, many from Afghanistan, via a California high school. This class is leading to a documentary film, which will be co-produced with the refugee students.
- Other WFI Programs:
- 1. Digital education acceleration via Lynn University’s Social Impact Lab and tech companies for teaching women and girls in Afghanistan.
- 2. Improving women’s rights and lives in Afghanistan in partnership with Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security (GIWPS) with report published by the United Nations.
- 3. Business accelerator for women entrepreneurs in Monterrey, Mexico in partnership with Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.
- 4. Business design strategy program for women weavers in India with the Parsons School of Design to give village women the right to livelihood through selling of their sustainable handwoven wares on a luxury e-commerce platform in the U.S.
- 5. Technologically-enabled food rescue program in Mexico that uses mobile apps and other technology to address food insecurity—a project that began with WFI’s Stanford University and the University of California-Berkeley teams, and which is now housed at two leading universities in Mexico under WFI’s leadership. TC Energy (NYSE:TRP) in Mexico, a leading energy infrastructure company and a pioneer in digital transformation and cybersecurity in the energy field sponsors the program. Together with TC Energy’s Social Impact Team, we are expanding this sustainable food rescue program across Mexico that includes regulated industries, other corporate and public sector partnerships, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, COPARMEX, the leading Mexican business association, and CANIRAC leading restaurant association in Mexico.
- 6. Technology and business development for NATO with our Stanford University team.
- 7. Collaborations in the arts with the sustainable luxury designer Blumea and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- 8. Environmental protection and rights. Have enabled our research to serve integrity-related topics, including environmental protections in the fashion industry with Fashion Revolution and fair compensation for artisans in Myanmar through Turquoise Mountain, a nonprofit founded by King Charles III with whom we have partnered.
- Formed board of directors with leaders in women’s empowerment: Economist Dr. Roberto Salinas-Leon; infrastructure and climate authority Dr. Seema Alim; U. S. Ambassador Sharon Wilkinson (Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mozambique); leading STEM educator for girls and women Dr. Janice Koch; and Alexa Chopivsky, Executive Director of the Women’s Foreign Policy Group. My official and unofficial advisors further encompass such experts as Joyce Ibrahim, Economic Development leader at the World Bank; and Pedro Lopez Sela, innovation expert empowering leaders to thrive for a better world.
Faculty, Founder of SAIS Women Lead Curricular Program, Practicum Director
Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)
07.2016 - 08.2018
- Pioneered and directed SAIS Women Lead, the school’s first program on developing women’s global leadership roles in entrepreneurship, economic progress, and STEM.
- Created and managed partnerships in five countries, website/digital content, and media to publicize the new program.
- Empowered students and partners to share their stories using blogs, public presentations, and short social media clips.
Co-Executive Director
Women’s Learning Partnership (United Nations partner)
06.2015 - 07.2016
- For this major NGO serving twenty (20) countries throughout the “Global South,” directed legal research; led strategic development of programs, internal partner communications, and finance operations of cross-functional organizations. Programs involved Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and North Africa.
- Served in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations, which coordinates economic and social goals, such as sustainable development and human rights.
Foreign Affairs Officer, Special Operations, Situation Rep to Secretary
U.S. Department of State
07.2010 - 06.2015
- In service to the U.S., Secretary of State, drafted and recommended ESG policy implementation guidance and speeches, 2010-2012.
- Served on the Human Rights Desk plus diversity, equity, and inclusion policy portfolio for Egypt in Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, 2012 – 2013, September 2014-2015.
- U.S. Department of Defense, International Security Affairs/Middle East Office of the Secretary of Defense (Policy), January – June 2012. Provided political/military analysis and support to senior Defense officials; participated in the training of officers from across the Middle East at Eager Lion 2012 (in Jordan).
- As appointed Presidential Management Fellow, handled international crisis management, writing situation daily report for Washington prior to and during U.S. Embassy in Syria evacuation; wrote secure cables for Ambassador and Political Section Chief, 2011.
International Affairs Fellow and Term Member
The Brookings Institution and the Council on Foreign Relations
09.2013 - 08.2014
- Fellow and guest lecturer at the American University in Cairo; published blog on Egyptian views of democracy.
- Fellow at the Brookings Center for Middle East Policy (CMEP), dedicated to more effective U.S. policy.
- Monitored and reported on Arab Spring and its advocacy for rights in Cairo.
Researcher & Journalist
Cultural Development Programs Foundation (CDPF)
06.2008 - 08.2008
- Provided internal communications for member organizations and media.
Reporter & Contributor
The Christian Science Monitor
01.2000 - 01.2008
- Published news articles ranging from labor and privacy issues to the Islamic Family Law and the women’s movement.
- Titles include: Antiterror Measures Incite Sectarianism in Yemen; At Last, an Ancient Tongue will be Taught; Morocco Pushes Ahead; College Students are Politically Active, but Don’t Vote; Museum Strike Highlights New Face of Unions; Public Records Get a Little More Public; Era of Prosperity Largely Skips Latino Teens; World Leaders, and Protesters, Meet at UN. Read more on publications and public communications here.
Education
Certificate - Management Essentials
Harvard Business School
09.2020
IIE Fulbright Fellow - undefined
Ph.D. - International Relations
Johns Hopkins University and The Wharton School
Washington, DC01.2010
Master of Arts - International Relations
Johns Hopkins SAIS
Bologna, Italy/Washington, DC05.2006
Master of Arts - French and Romance Philology
Columbia University, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
New York, NY05.2002
Maîtrise - Letters Modernes (M.A. equivalency)
Université de Paris VIII, Vincennes-Saint Denis
03.2002
Bachelor of Arts - English; Comparative Literature
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY05.2000
Skills
- Team leadership
- Strategic thinking
- Marketing
- Entrepreneurial and innovative
Timeline
Founder and President
Women Forward International (WFI)
11.2019 - Current
Faculty, Founder of SAIS Women Lead Curricular Program, Practicum Director
Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)
07.2016 - 08.2018
Co-Executive Director
Women’s Learning Partnership (United Nations partner)
06.2015 - 07.2016
International Affairs Fellow and Term Member
The Brookings Institution and the Council on Foreign Relations
09.2013 - 08.2014
Foreign Affairs Officer, Special Operations, Situation Rep to Secretary
U.S. Department of State
07.2010 - 06.2015
Researcher & Journalist
Cultural Development Programs Foundation (CDPF)
06.2008 - 08.2008
Reporter & Contributor
The Christian Science Monitor
01.2000 - 01.2008
IIE Fulbright Fellow - undefined
Ph.D. - International Relations
Johns Hopkins University and The Wharton School
Master of Arts - International Relations
Johns Hopkins SAIS
Master of Arts - French and Romance Philology
Columbia University, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
Maîtrise - Letters Modernes (M.A. equivalency)
Université de Paris VIII, Vincennes-Saint Denis
Bachelor of Arts - English; Comparative Literature
Cornell University
Certificate - Management Essentials
Harvard Business School
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