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Jodi Nelson is the director of Strategy, Measurement & Evaluation at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Committed to helping the\\xa0foundation maximize its results, the Strategy, Measurement & Evaluation (SME) team is responsible for the organization\\u2019s strategy\\xa0development and review process and its overall approach to measurement and evaluation. SME leads efforts to integrate results-based\\xa0planning into the foundation\\u2019s grant making and operations; develop a strong, organization-wide M&E Community of Practice; conduct\\xa0independent evaluations of the foundation\\u2019s most important investments; and provide teams and leadership with access to relevant data\\xa0for learning and decision-making.

Prior to joining the foundation, Jodi was the director of Research and Evaluation at the International Rescue Committee. There for\\xa0almost ten years, Jodi created two new initiatives to improve the organization\\u2019s measurement system. In 2003, Jodi raised private funds\\xa0to launch a three year effort to bridge the gap between academic research and IRC\\u2019s field program implementation. Jodi advocated for\\xa0and founded a department dedicated to research and evaluation. As its director, Jodi strengthened the agency\\u2019s program design\\xa0capacity; streamlined data collection and analysis across country offices; and built capacity for the use of rigorous evaluation for\\xa0learning and decision-making. This included partnering with bilateral organizations and university scholars to evaluate post-conflict\\xa0development models in settings such as Liberia, DR Congo, Cote d\\u2019Ivoire, Burundi and Afghanistan.

Jodi worked before this at several nonprofit organizations with international missions, including the Asia Society, the Society for\\xa0International Development, the World Resources Institute, and the Committee for Economic Development. She has taught graduate\\xa0courses on international development and evaluation at Princeton University and New York University.

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Jodi has a doctorate in Political Science from Columbia University with a concentration in political economy, and a Bachelor\\u2019s from\\xa0Northwestern University. Jodi was a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations from 2000-2007, and currently serves on the\\xa0board of Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), the Antelope Foundation and Maloto, an innovative nonprofit organization committed to\\xa0youth in Malawi.