Katie Croake is chief of party for Counterpart’s Promoting Advocacy and Rights project in Bangladesh. She brings over 20 years of democracy and governance experience in Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, with expertise in elections, political parties, women’s leadership, youth empowerment, social inclusion, and community resilience. Before joining Counterpart, Croake spent seven years in Bangladesh with Democracy International where she led programs to advance inclusive political processes, evidence-based policy development, peacebuilding and conflict resolution, and the leadership and participation of women and youth. Croake has also held senior management positions with the National Democratic Institute in Sierra Leone, Egypt, and Washington, D.C. While at the National Democratic Institute, she designed and managed programs to support women activists in Egypt during the Arab Spring and created the Middle East and North Africa Young Women Leaders Academy, a program that has been replicated across the world. A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Croake began her career as a social studies teacher in Beirut, Lebanon.