Valerie Gwinner is a writer and communications consultant. She has over 20 years experience in public health, agricultural development, and gender issues as a writer, policy analyst, and senior manager. She was recently Head of Communications and Public Awareness at the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru. She has been a Communications Director, Speechwriter, Senior Policy Analyst, and Project Director for the US government, Georgetown University, and private sector organizations focused on health, women and children, and poverty alleviation. She holds an MA in Public Policy from the University of Chicago and Diplome d’Etudes Approfondies (DEA) in Social History from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris, France. She is a dual French/USA national and currently lives in Nairobi, Kenya.