Ruth Rhoads Allen leads CDA and is responsible for strategy design and ongoing co-creation of CDA’s vision, technical focus, and means for engaging its global network to address critical issues and common challenges across humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding fields has worked across these fields for nearly 20 years, with direct work experience in over 30 countries, forging her passion for community resilience in the face of inevitable social, political, and environmental systems-level challenges. Her own substantive work is on cross-sector partnerships, good governance, and civil society leadership, having published significantly for both practitioner effectiveness and policy influence.
From 2004-2013 Ms. Rhoads Allen served in multiple positions at Mercy Corps, including leading the agency’s global technical portfolio as Director of Governance and Partnerships, and as Senior Advisor focused on strategic planning in sensitive environments. As Founder of ViewFinder International in 2013, she continued technical consultations as well as expanded her expertise leading strategic organizational change process for INGOs, UN agencies, national organizations, and private funds. She worked with Human Rights Watch, Conflict Management Group and served on the board of Alliance for Peacebuilding