Kristin Lord

AIYD Co-Chair | President & CEO, IREX

Kristin Lord is President and CEO of IREX, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to building a more just, prosperous, and inclusive world by empowering youth, cultivating leaders, strengthening institutions, and extending access to quality education and information. Prior to joining IREX in 2014, Dr. Lord served as Acting President and Executive Vice President of the United States Institute of Peace, a Congressionally created organization that prevents, mitigates and resolves violent conflict worldwide. While at USIP, Lord oversaw the launch of an online education initiative, the creation of the PeaceTech Lab, the expansion of programs on Africa and South/Central Asia, and the development of a five-year strategic plan. From 2009–2013, Lord was Executive Vice President and Director of Studies at the Center for a New American Security, where she oversaw the Center’s research and served as one of three members of the Center’s leadership team. She served as editor-in-chief of 110 CNAS publications during that period and authored significant studies on diplomacy and development, cyber security, U.S. global engagement, and violent extremism. Prior to joining CNAS, Lord was a fellow at The Brookings Institution, where she directed the science and technology initiative of the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World and authored studies on human development in the Arab world and U.S. public diplomacy.

Dr. Lord serves as cochair of the Alliance for International Youth Development, a member of the Board of Directors for the US Global Leadership Coalition, and a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University and her B.A. in international studies from American University.

Learn more: www.irex.org