Catie Lott is currently the Director for the Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance Office at USAID/ Tanzania. Prior this posting she served as the Staff Director for the House Democracy Partnership, a bipartisan commission of the U.S. House of Representatives that works directly with 21 partner countries around the world to support the development of effective and independent legislative institutionsShe also previously held the position of Deputy Director for the USAID Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance Center comprised of more than 100 leading experts in the field of democracy promotion. As a Foreign Service Officer with USAID for more than 15 years, Ms. Lott has held postings in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In her work overseas she has designed and managed a wide variety of multi-million-dollar programs that cross all democracy areas of expertise. Prior to joining USAID, Ms. Lott worked as a journalist for a variety of publications in the United States and Africa covering human interest stories, travel, and politics. Ms. Lott has a BA from the University of California Santa Barbara, an MA from Syracuse University, and is currently working on a PhD focused on women's political leadership.