Reina Duran (She / Her)

I currently work at Arizona State University (ASU) as a Clinical Associate Professor at the School of Social Work - Family Violence Center, as an Affiliated professor at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, and as a Central America Manager of ASU International Development Initiative (IDI). My primary role is to collaborate on developing proposals and supporting their implementation in Latin America, principally under USAID funding and the Department of State. For instance, in 2024, I contributed to the USAID Mexico proposal “Civic Courts and Local Police Capacity Building Activity,” the USAID Ecuador initiative “Fostering Accountability through Investigative Reporting” (FAIR), and the USAID Regional Citizen Security Activity. One of my responsibilities at FVC is collaborating in implementing the USAID activity LibrES: Por un El Salvador sin Violencia de Género, which aims to address gender-based violence. In this project, I advise on the grant program and MEL plan implementation and provide guidance to the technical programmatic areas. Part of my responsibilities are strengthening collaboration with key stakeholders and supporting the implementation of the Research Institute on Gender-Based Violence with one local partner. I am the Project Manager of the INL project Norte Seguro: Tackling High-Impact Crime in Mexico’s Northern States, funded by the US Department of State. Also, I am the president of the Commission for Accreditation of the Quality of Higher Education in El Salvador. Furthermore, a member of the Network of Women Scientists supported by the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP). My background includes over 30 years in higher education, having worked as a teacher, researcher, IT Manager, Vice Provost in technical education, and Vice President of Science and Technology in different Salvadoran universities. In addition, I was the Chief of Party for RTI International to improve higher education in El Salvador with USAID funds, where I supported the implementation of curriculum design, teachers training, and capacity building for 13 Higher Education Institutes, including the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MINEDUCYT) of El Salvador, working in close collaboration with the private sector and government institutions. In addition, under USAID Higher Education for Economic Growth, I promoted the development of young women and women through the initiatives "Science Girl Camp," "ConCiencia Girl Camp," and the "Female Leaders in Higher Education Network. " At Universidad Don Bosco (UDB), I oversaw several initiates with the MINEDUCYT, including access to education for the most marginalized learners through the Flexible Modalities (7th to 9th grades and high school) that include semi-presential, accelerated, and virtual education. Additionally, I oversaw teacher training and the development of curricula for public education (primary education, high school, and technical education). At the USAID Education for Children and Youth activity, I served as a Sub-Agreement Monitor and as a member of the Project Advisory Board representing UDB and implementing initiatives in teachers' training, curriculum design, and strengthening local capacity. This activity aimed to support the Ministry of Education in expanding access to education for children and youth living in high-risk municipalities as part of the Sistema Integrado de Escuela Inclusiva de Tiempo Pleno/SI-EITP (in English Integrated System for Full Time Inclusive School). This involved supporting and coordinating actions to improve the quality of education through the practice of inclusive, pertinent, and safe learning environments. While working with ASU, RTI, and UDB, I gained valuable experience creating USAID reports, deliverables, and budgets and understanding policies and procedures. I have also had the opportunity to work on projects and proposals in countries such as El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, the USA, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. This has allowed me to build relationships with local organizations in these countries and gain valuable insights into their cultures and challenges. Additionally, I was part of the Board of FOMILENIO II, a project supported by the Millennium Challenge Corporation, representing the education sector where, in support of the Ministry of Education, FOMILENIO II invested more than $132 million to promote the SI-EITP to improve the quality of education including the training, at the national level, of 4,691 teachers in six specialties and in social-emotional and reading promotion skills; improvement in the curriculum (language and English as a second language), design and implementation of three new Vocational Technical Baccalaureates and eight technical diplomas that improve the work skills of High School students; the construction of 45 unique educational centers and the provision of equipment and teaching materials.