Iris Mwanza

Iris Mwanza leads the foundation’s strategy and investments to improve women’s representation and influence in the fields of health, law, and economics in priority geographies. Born and raised in Zambia, Iris had early exposure to unfair and unequal opportunities for women and girls and has been a driving force for gender equality in her career—from her Ph.D. dissertation on women’s and children’s rights in Commonwealth Africa to her work in international development and global health, including on HIV/AIDS, health systems strengthening, community health, and community health worker rights.

Iris serves on the Care International Supervisory Board and on the board of directors of World Wildlife Fund US. She has an M.A. and a Ph.D. in international relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and law degrees from Cornell University and the University of Zambia.