Emily Lyons-Ellison is the Senior Program Officer for women’s empowerment initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI), based in Washington, D.C.

Prior to joining ASPI, Emily worked at the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative on a women’s empowerment consortium, which sought to support women’s economic empowerment, advance the women, peace, and security agenda, and prevent gender-based violence across fifteen countries. There she supported implementation for projects in Sri Lanka and Central Asia, as well as oversaw strategic communication, the learning agenda, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning for the consortium. Emily also spent ten years working at American Councils for International Education, where she administered international research and education programs in countries throughout the Balkans, Baltics, Caucasus, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.

Emily holds a B.A. in Russian Language and Culture from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.