Fiona has over 30 years of experience as a journalist, strategic communications professional, and media and outreach advisor.

She has worked in the U.S., Europe, Middle East, Central Asia and Southeast Asia in the areas of strategic communications, government outreach, media, and civil society engagement in the security, justice, health, human rights, economic reform and policy advocacy sectors.

Prior to her consulting work, Fiona was Senior Program Manager, Levant at the National Democratic Institute in Washington, DC, overseeing human rights and civil society engagement programming in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria. There she coordinated the NDI-Carter Center International Election Observation Mission to the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Election. She served as an election observer in Jenin for that election, as well as in Cairo for the 2005 Egyptian Presidential Election.

Before beginning development work, Fiona was a strategic outreach and partnership advisor in the Cabinet of UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris where she worked with the White House on the system-wide launch of the UN literacy decade, and the establishment of the International Fund for Reconstruction of Iraq’s Higher Education System. Prior, she served as Director of External Affairs for the United Nations Association of the USA in New York collaborating with senior UN officials, diplomats, and leaders from the private and public sectors. She has extensive experience working with federal government agencies, multi-lateral institutions, and global non-profit organizations. She has worked closely with government, CSO, and media representatives from: the U.S., Thailand, Myanmar, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Qatar, Iraq, UAE, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Fiona began her career as newspaper reporter, and continues to work as a freelance writer. She was Afghanistan Editor and later Editor-at-Large for Muftah magazine providing analysis on global issues and writing a weekly blog. Fiona’s writing has appeared in outlets such as The Daily Beast, Ms. Magazine, Los Angeles Times, PassBlue, New York Post, Financial Times, The Washington Times and The Christian Science Monitor. You can find her latest writing on Substack.

TECHNICAL Exertise

Strategic Communications
Messaging, earned media, stakeholder engagement

Stakeholder Mapping, Assessment, Engagement
Identifying partners, advocates, collaborators, interested communities

Asia and Middle East
Governance and government outreach, civil society engagement and development, policy advocacy

International Program Direction, Development, Management, Implementation
Non-profit, for-profit, UN

United Nations System
Working for, and partnering with, the UN system

COUNTRY EXPERIENCE

Field-Based
Afghanistan (10 years), Iraq, UAE, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand / Myanmar

Headquarter Supervision with regular site visits
Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, West Bank / Gaza, Syria, Iraq

EDUCATION

M.A. Near East Studies and Journalism, Kevorkian Center, New York University

B.A. English Literature, Union College