Wendy Wheaton is currently (2021) working as a Senior Education Advisor for USAID. She has over 20 years of experience in developing educational standards, policies, guidance, programs, and technical response modalities in Africa, with particular expertise in conflict and crisis settings.

Prior to joining USAID, she was Senior Director for Education and Protection at Plan International's Headquarters and held previous positions at the World Bank, UN, and international NGOs over the years. She served in representational roles at the global level across the humanitarian and development communities as well as within academic technical groups focused on education, child protection, and mental health/psychosocial support fields of practice. 

In between being based overseas for 15 years, she worked primarily on education and protection programs for displaced children and youth who were associated with fighting forces/armed groups and conducted research on peacebuilding through education, adolescent psychosocial well-being, education in emergencies, GBV, and provided technical inputs to International Guidance on each of these topics.

Wendy has lived and worked in South Sudan, Kosovo, Ethiopia, both Congos, Cote d’Ivoire, Haiti, Uganda, Nigeria, Senegal, Chad, Benin, Burundi, and speaks French. She has also served as an Adjunct Faculty member teaching courses for five years at Georgetown University’s Justice and Peace Center. Her studies include Rutgers College (BA), Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs (MIA), her doctoral work at CIE with UMass Amherst, and coursework at Harvard's Graduate School of Education. [3-21]

Email: wendylwheaton@gmail.com