Laura M. Ahearn, Ph.D.

-- Advise on the creation of a new interdisciplinary course, Language and Culture
-- Contributed to the writing of the guide for the new Language and Culture course

Expert in learning agendas and Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) for the LEARN contract, working closely with USAID's Bureau of Policy, Planning, and Learning (PPL).

-- Provided guidance on learning agendas to federal agencies.
-- Created research and analytical products for USAID's Self-Reliance Learning Agenda (SRLA). Consolidated and prioritized questions for SRLA.
-- Conducted research for Program Cycle Longitudinal Study, investigating the implementation of… Show more

Expert in learning agendas and Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) for the LEARN contract, working closely with USAID's Bureau of Policy, Planning, and Learning (PPL).

-- Provided guidance on learning agendas to federal agencies.
-- Created research and analytical products for USAID's Self-Reliance Learning Agenda (SRLA). Consolidated and prioritized questions for SRLA.
-- Conducted research for Program Cycle Longitudinal Study, investigating the implementation of the Program Cycle in various USAID overseas missions. Research trips taken to Uganda, El Salvador, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Vietnam.
-- Assisted with knowledge sharing around integrated programming and matrix management, drafting a discussion note and convening a community of practice consisting of both Washington and field-based practitioners.
-- Facilitated the creation and implementation of a Program Cycle Learning Agenda for PPL that has Agency-wide implications.
-- Coordinated LEARN's work on a landscape analysis of existing learning agendas in USAID and across five other federal agencies;
-- Contributed methodological expertise to other projects, such as an assessment of USAID's youth policy, and a study of USAID staff members' experiences with programming in non-permissive environments (NPEs), focusing on areas such as scenario planning, third-party monitoring, and adaptive mechanisms.
-- Piloted use of ethnographic methods to study meeting effectiveness and the influence of humor and playfulness on team cohesion. Show less

Articulated vision in consultation with editorial board members for this new book series.

-- Quickly established the series's reputation for publishing high-quality, readable books, three of which were awarded prizes.
-- Reviewed book manuscripts for possible publication in series.
-- Ran meetings of the editorial board.
-- Conveyed feedback to authors in a constructive manner.
-- Provided input regarding the production of manuscripts.

June 2015 - January 2017
Senior Learning Advisor, Institute of International Education Democracy Fellow, and AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow), USAID's Center of Excellence for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance

-- Oversaw the creation of a new Learning Agenda for the DRG Center, which involved coordinating 5 Theme Teams consisting of individuals from across the Center's 9 divisions;
-- Convened Learning Agenda Advisory Group to update Learning Agenda for 2017;
--… Show more

June 2015 - January 2017
Senior Learning Advisor, Institute of International Education Democracy Fellow, and AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow), USAID's Center of Excellence for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance

-- Oversaw the creation of a new Learning Agenda for the DRG Center, which involved coordinating 5 Theme Teams consisting of individuals from across the Center's 9 divisions;
-- Convened Learning Agenda Advisory Group to update Learning Agenda for 2017;
-- Initiated and organized the Center's quarterly Academy Days;
-- Technical advisor for impact & performance evaluations;
-- Curated data from evaluations and academic research;
-- Served as DRG Center's Nepal backstop for meetings with interagency & Mission personnel;
-- Collected evidence for the value of integrating DRG into other sectors'​ programs;
-- Co-coordinated the Center's Knowledge Management Advisory Group;
-- Participated in DRG integration case study in Nepal; and
-- Served on the Center's Training & Leadership Team and the Gender Working Group.

September 2014 - June 2015
AAAS S&T Policy Fellow, Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist, Research and Innovation Fellowship Program, USAID's Global Development Lab

-- Monitored the progress of the Research and Innovation Fellowship Program in USAID's Global Development Lab;
-- Created monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) plan for the RI Fellowships Program that incorporated both quantitative and qualitative methods and complexity-aware approaches;
-- Regularly produced data visualizations for the program and the Lab using charts, graphs, and maps;
-- Provided M&E guidance to our six university partners;
-- Coordinated judging process and served as Lead Judge for USAID's Global Development Innovation awards at Intel International Science & Engineering Fair, May 2014;
-- Served as relationship manager for the University of California at Berkeley and the University of California at Davis, and point person for India. Show less

ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE:
-- Director, South Asian Studies Program
-- Graduate Program Director, Department of Anthropology
-- Acting Chair, Department of Anthropology
-- Rutgers University Leader in Diversity Award, 2006

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE:
-- Publication of two books (Living Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology, Wiley Blackwell, 2012, and Invitations to Love: Literacy, Love Letters, and Social Change in… Show more

ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE:
-- Director, South Asian Studies Program
-- Graduate Program Director, Department of Anthropology
-- Acting Chair, Department of Anthropology
-- Rutgers University Leader in Diversity Award, 2006

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE:
-- Publication of two books (Living Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology, Wiley Blackwell, 2012, and Invitations to Love: Literacy, Love Letters, and Social Change in Nepal, University of Michigan Press, 2001) and numerous articles, including an article in the New York Times Science section;
-- External grants and fellowships from the National Science Foundation, the Fulbright Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities for long-term ethnographic research on language, literacy, gender, marriage, and social change in Nepal;
-- Rutgers University Board of Trustees Award for Scholarly Excellence, 2004;
-- Edward Sapir Book Prize Honorable Mention for Invitations to Love, 2002.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE
-- Have taught linguistic and cultural anthropology courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels, including Research Design and Methods in Sociocultural Anthropology, Introduction to Linguistic (or Cultural) Anthropology; Language and Social Diversity, Theories of Agency; Anthropology of South Asia; Language and Social Action; and Language and Gender.
-- Awarded the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Award for Distinguished Contributions to Undergraduate Education, 2005.
-- Awarded the Excellence in Teaching Award, Mortar Board Society, University of South Carolina, 2000. Show less

-- Coordinated merit review process for 500 research proposals in conjunction with co-director, convening advisory panels of scholars and making funding recommendations for the program's $3.7 million budget.

-- Obtained funding worth over $450,000 from other sources around the Foundation to supplement Cultural Anthropology’s own budget.

-- Instituted webinar orientations for new advisory panelists.

-- Initiated Language Working Group that generated cross-directorate… Show more

-- Coordinated merit review process for 500 research proposals in conjunction with co-director, convening advisory panels of scholars and making funding recommendations for the program's $3.7 million budget.

-- Obtained funding worth over $450,000 from other sources around the Foundation to supplement Cultural Anthropology’s own budget.

-- Instituted webinar orientations for new advisory panelists.

-- Initiated Language Working Group that generated cross-directorate initiative for language-related research in FY14.

-- Designed and implemented evaluation of dissertation grants program. Show less