Patricia Daunas is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for ICRW, where she works closely with senior leadership, the President and the Board of Directors. In this role, Patricia oversees the global operations of the institution while working closely with program staff to ensure streamlined operational efficiencies that meet programmatic goals. Prior to her position as COO, Patricia was the Director of Program Support at ICRW. In that capacity, she coordinated staffing, progress monitoring, trouble shooting, donor reporting, and budget management with portfolio directors, project managers, project directors, and with operations. She also participated in business development efforts including cross-team, multi-year initiatives; innovative or complex concepts and strategies for donor cultivation.
As COO, Patricia serves as a key member of the leadership team within the organization. She helps ensure that projects meet donor requirements with an eye on meeting institutional expectations – both in terms of quality as well as financial targets. She works closely with the President and with staff across the globe to establish and maintain sustainable systems to ensure long-term stability for the organization. She is responsible for the management and continual improvement of financial and operational systems and planning of the organization, as well as its unrestricted fundraising activities, so as to ensure ICRW’s fiscal health. The COO serves on the Board of Directors’ committees responsible for finance and investments and serves as the Treasurer of the institution
Within her role at ICRW, Patricia is particularly passionate about giving researchers and program staff the support they need to advance women and girls globally, prevent violence against women, and expand access to reproductive and other health services globally.
Patricia began her career in international development in Bogota, Colombia in the 1980s, working with EngenderHealth. In that role, Patricia honed her skills working with USAID-funded programs, learning the ins and outs of donor regulations, as well as the fundamentals of project management.
Prior to joining ICRW, Patricia was a Senior Administrative Officer at PATH for nine years. In this role, she provided both programmatic and institutional administrative leadership to the PATH DC office under the supervision of the VP for External Relations. Patricia worked closely with program staff in the DC office to ensure institutional and donor compliance across projects and she led the establishment and opening of several PATH field offices, specifically the offices in China, Tanzania, Nicaragua and Ethiopia.
Additionally, Patricia worked for nine years as a program Associate for the USAID-led MotherCare Project at John Snow Inc., providing administrative and contractual oversight to projects in Guatemala, Bolivia, and Nigeria. She also led efforts to establish country offices in those three countries.
Contact Patricia at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter: @PDaunas