Shelley Martin is the Associate Director of Advisors, focusing on gender-smart investing and gender at work. She has conducted social and business impact evaluations, researched and written technical reports and designed practical tools to help companies and public institutions leverage gender intelligence across workplaces and value chains, e.g. climate-smart agriculture, clean energy, STEM and infrastructure. Prior to joining ICRW, she was a Gender Inclusion Specialist with Value for Women, where she worked with the World Bank, DfID, ILO and other agencies and impact investors to research and build evidence on the economic and business case for expanding women’s participation and leadership.

Before relocating to Washington, DC, Shelley was based in East Africa for seven years, where she was engaged with development programs and research in over 10 countries. A gender justice advocate with roots in women’s rights and livelihoods, she brings independent project design and management experience from various local and international organizations spanning numerous sectors across sub-Saharan Africa. Whether addressing land rights, access to justice, gender-based violence or youth empowerment, she remains passionate about building capacities in individuals, their communities and the everyday institutions that affect people’s lives. Shelley also previously served as System Reform Fellow with International Justice Mission in Kampala, Uganda; Community Empowerment Coordinator with the Beech Foundation in Nakuru, Kenya; and Student Advisor with Bridges to a Brighter Future in Greenville, South Carolina.