Dr. Suzanne Petroni founded Gender Equality Solutions, in 2017 to support donors, governments, UN agencies, NGOs, and civil society to design and implement high-quality and gender-equitable global health and development programs. She brings 30 years of experience in foreign policy and global development, having worked in the governmental, philanthropic, nonprofit, and research sectors. Prior to starting her own business, Suzanne served as Senior Director for Global Health, Youth and Development at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), where she led the organization’s work to expand the evidence base on gender, sexual and reproductive health and rights, adolescence, and demographic and socioeconomic outcomes. Before joining ICRW in 2012, she served as Vice President for Global Health at the non-profit Public Health Institute, where she expanded global programs covering issues as diverse as climate change and health, tobacco control, disabilities, leadership development, and reproductive health and rights. From 2001 to 2010, Suzanne was a Senior Program Officer at the Summit Foundation, responsible for the design and oversight of grantmaking on adolescent sexual and reproductive health and youth leadership. During her tenure, she also served on the board of directors of the Funders Network on Population, Reproductive Health and Rights (now Funders for Reproductive Equity), including as Chair for two years. In the decade before joining the Summit Foundation, she served in various roles in the U.S. government, including at the U.S. Department of State as Program Officer in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, and as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Global Affairs. Her clients at Gender Equality Solutions include AmplifyChange, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Girls First Fund, Girls Not Brides, Grand Challenges Canada, Overseas Development Institute, UNICEF, USAID, WomenStrong International, several universities, and companies such as Fraym, Making Cents International, and Iris Group.
Suzanne holds a doctorate in Gender and Social Policy from The George Washington University, a masters in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, a bachelors in International Relations from the University of California at Davis, and a certificate in Public Health in Complex Emergencies from Columbia University. She has published and spoken widely on adolescent health and development, gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and more. She served as a member of the Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing, and was profiled by The Lancet for her career-long commitment to youth leadership and gender equity.