Iva Dobichina is a global senior program officer on the Civic Engagement and Government team. She has over 20 years of experience in aiding social justice leaders, protecting freedom of expression, and strengthening civil society and brings in-depth experience in designing and implementing global and multilateral social change strategies.

Before joining the foundation, Iva worked for 11 years with Open Society Foundations, rising from program officer to unit manager to division director within the Human Rights Initiative. Before that, she was the regional field director for Freedom House in Central Asia. She also served as director of programs at the Bulgarian School of Politics and director of programs at the Political Academy for Central and Southeast Europe.

Iva brings a nuanced understanding of both grassroots and international organizations, having worked with groups in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe and built alliances with multiple stakeholders and sectors over the years.