Wei headshot

Leland Fellow

Emily Wei

5th Class, 2009-2011

Field Placement: CARE International, Malawi

At CARE Malawi, Emily Wei conducted field research on social protection and food security. She analyzed the data and wrote policy papers and briefs to help translate the field research into U.S. policy advocacy goals. She also provided CARE Malawi with a broader picture of the movement for social protection in the country and region by performing donor interviews and background research on the subject.  Emily regularly worked on policy analysis of climate change and food security issues, and assisted with the policy and advocacy needs of the country office.

Policy Placement: Mercy Corps, Washington, DC

As a member of Mercy Corps’ policy and advocacy team in Washington, D.C., Emily focused on the organization’s food security work and Haiti country program.  One of her major projects was to document best practices and Mercy Corps’ experience with Local and Regional Procurement programs, for which she collected information through a series of visits to individual country programs. She participated in meetings and briefings, and worked with other NGOs and various coalitions to assure that Mercy Corps’ advocacy efforts were aligned with relevant inter and cross-agency food security strategies and programming.

Pre-Fellowship Education/Experience:

Emily graduated with an MA in Public Policy from Duke University and a JD from Fordham University in New York City. While in law school, she worked with the International Rescue Committee’s International Programs Department and in the New York Resettlement Office, helping refugees and immigrants obtain citizenship. Before graduate school, Emily worked with a community development NGO in rural Ghana, and in South Africa where she worked with street children and taught business classes to women. She has also worked on remand prisoners’ issues in Ghana, domestic violence in New Zealand, and housing law in New York City. A native of Houston, Texas, Emily received her BA in Social Anthropology from Harvard University.

Publications