Gretchen King has 12 years of experience in international development policy, communications, and research with specializations in locally-led development, and democracy and governance. She also has experience in political economy, systems thinking and community engagement approaches. Ms. King has conducted evaluations/assessments of international non-governmental organization (INGO) programming as it relates to policy influencing with host governments, legislative reform, sustainability approaches, and efforts to advocate for policy and practice changes within the United States Government and United Nations system. Her expertise in evidence-based policy formation, policy influencing, and deep understanding of aid effectiveness practice approaches, enable her to connect global policy to practical implementation in the field. She holds a Master’s Degree in Violence, Conflict, and Development from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies and a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Columbia College Chicago. She is also certified in public participation techniques and planning and social network analysis.