Bio
As the director of program management, Dianna H. English is at the nexus of CIGI’s policy research and operations while driving outcomes aligned to the organization’s strategic goals and priorities.
Dianna is a seasoned democracy, governance and human rights professional with experience in government, international organizations, non-profit organizations and the private sector. She spent 10 years working in the US government, including serving as a director for African affairs on the National Security Council staff and as special assistant to the under secretary of state for civilian security, democracy and human rights, for whom she was an expert policy advisor focused on security sector reform and transitional justice. She also served as the rule of law programs director at the US embassies in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in South Sudan.
Prior to joining the US State Department, Dianna worked in research for the International Criminal Court in The Hague and as a research consultant with the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Dianna served as a US Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania, where she focused on HIV/AIDS prevention. She has volunteered with a refugee resettlement agency in New Haven, Connecticut and as an emergency room crisis counsellor for the DC Rape Crisis Center in Washington, DC.
Dianna is also a consultant with Lexpat Global Services, a fellow with the Truman National Security Project, and serves on the executive committee for the Toronto branch of the Canadian International Council.
Dianna holds a B.S. in international studies and social policy from Northwestern University and earned her M.A. in international relations with a certificate in international security studies from Yale University. She speaks English and Swahili.