A. Heather Coyne

A. Heather Coyne "was recently the chief of party for USIP's activities in Iraq. She previously served fifteen months in Iraq as a U.S. Army Reserve Civil Affairs Officer, assigned to the Coalition Provisional Authority as the civil society officer for the Baghdad Region. Her role was to promote the establishment and growth of indigenous Iraqi nongovernmental organizations, professional societies, and local citizens’ committees to support the reestablishment of civil society. She is currently a senior program officer in the Center for Mediation and Conflict Resolution.

"Prior to deploying, she spent sixteen months studying Arabic at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. Coyne worked for four years at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in the National Security Division, where she managed OMB’s review of federal programs to combat terrorism, defend against weapons of mass destruction, and protect critical infrastructure. In coordination with the National Security Council she helped to develop an interagency review process for these programs.

"Coyne earned a master’s degree in international relations and international economics from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University."