Allison Merchant

Allison Merchant is the Senior Gender Advisor for the Open Government Partnership where she leads the gender and inclusion portfolio across OGP’s thematic team. She joined OGP in 2018 to launch the Feminist Open Government Initiative, which aims to advance gender equality and better governance through increased transparency, participation, accountability, and government responsiveness. Allison has more than 14 years of experience designing and implementing wide-ranging programs to promote women’s participation in legislatures, political parties, peace and reconciliation processes, and civil society advocacy.

Previously, Allison worked for Politico, the Institute for Inclusive Security, the National Democratic Institute, and EMILY’s List.

She earned her Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and Bachelor’s degrees in Women’s Studies and Communication from Denison University.