Heather Skilling is an economist with more than 25 years of experience in strengthening water and sanitation service delivery in developing countries. She has worked at three levels: 1. At the global level, as a Steering Committee Member of the Sanitation and Water for All partnership, United Nations Advisor, and consultant on the NEPAD Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic and the World Bank water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) Poverty Diagnostics; 2. At the sector level, leading reform activities including policy, regulation, sector financing, and good governance; and 3. At the provider level, including efficiency improvements, public-private partnerships, and formalization of small-scale providers. Her work has ranged from developing and closing a management contract transaction for the Guyana Water utility—to leading a project to create a multi-sector regulator in Malawi—to managing a project that built the financial sustainability of urban water companies across nine African countries.

She has worked with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the German Development Agency, and private consulting firms including almost eight years as Senior Water and Sanitation Advisor with USAID’s Africa Bureau and Water Office. Over that time, Heather has worked in more than 30 countries, primarily in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

• M.A., international economics, Latin American Studies, Nitze School of Advanced International Relations, Johns Hopkins University
• B.A., fine arts, English, Middle East studies, Williams College