MENLO PARK, Calif. – Ruth Levine, a development economist and expert in international development, global health, and education, will join The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation as the director of its newly integrated Global Development and Population Program on May 31.

Levine is currently a deputy assistant administrator in the Bureau of Policy, Planning and Learning at the U.S. Agency for International Development. In that role, she has led the development of the Agency’s newly approved evaluation policy.

“Ruth is a spectacular addition to the Foundation. She brings the ideal combination of skills, experience, and deep understanding of the intersection of global development and population issues that we were looking for,” said Hewlett Foundation President Paul Brest.

Previously, Levine spent nearly a decade at the Center for Global Development, an international policy research institute in Washington, D.C. There, she served as a Senior Fellow and vice president for programs and operations. Levine is the author of scores of books and professional publications, including a recent pair of influential reports from the Center for Global Development on development and adolescent girls: Girls Count: A Global Investment & Action Agenda and Start with a Girl: A New Agenda for Global Health. She also is coauthor of the highly regarded report When Will We Ever Learn? Improving Lives through Impact Evaluation.

“I am very excited to be joining the Hewlett Foundation to help guide this new integrated program,” said Levine. “The special role that philanthropy plays in supporting sound public policy and innovative programs can make a big difference at the intersection of global development, population dynamics, and reproductive health. We can build on the terrific successes of the Global Development and Population programs at the Hewlett Foundation to continue to improve the lives of people around the world.”

Levine holds a B.S. in biochemistry from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in economic demography from The Johns Hopkins University.

About The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has been making grants since 1967 to help solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. The Foundation concentrates its resources on activities in education, the environment, global development, performing arts, philanthropy, and population, and makes grants to support disadvantaged communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. A full list of all the Hewlett Foundation’s grants can be found here.

Contact:
Eric Brown
Hewlett Foundation Communications Director
(650) 234-4500 ext. 5743
ebrown@hewlett.org