United States

LaShawn R. Jefferson

Program Officer New York

LaShawn R. Jefferson works on gender rights and equality, focusing on policies and practices that promote respect for women's human rights, with a particular focus on the economic rights and economic participation of low-income women and women of color. Her grant making supports key national, regional, and global women's human rights organizations and networks to be effective advocates in advancing women's rights as a part of an integral component of achieving social justice.

LaShawn joined the Ford Foundation in 2009 after holding many positions, most recently as the executive director within the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch in Washington, D.C., and New York City. The primary goal of her work was to develop and advance macro-level policies to improve the lives of millions of women around the world, combining changes in law with procedural and other on-the-ground measures to strengthen respect for women's human rights. LaShawn provided strategic and intellectual guidance to the work on women's international human rights, crafted and executed long-term advocacy strategies, represented Human Rights Watch at the highest levels of national and international government, and was the organization’s primary spokesperson for women's human rights.

She holds a master's degree in international relations from The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). She is the author of numerous reports on a variety of issues confronting women around the world, and her op-eds have appeared in The Wall Street Journal and The International Herald Tribune.