Kelly Skinner is the Senior Coordinator for International Outreach. In this role, she works closely with MEI's Director of Strategic Outreach and leadership to support the implementation of international policy forums both in the U.S. and the Middle East, as well as manage partnership programs. Prior to joining MEI, Kelly worked at CRDF Global where she implemented US Department of State projects designed to counter the Islamic Republic of Iran's ballistic missile program. She also has experience with strategic communications and research from her work as a Research Assistant with LINK Strategic Partners, a communications consultancy firm based in Washington, DC.
Kelly attended the University of Oxford for an MPhil in Modern Middle Eastern Studies for which she wrote her thesis on the economic principles in Iran's 1979 constitution. At Oxford, Kelly also served as a Content Editor and Communications Coordinator for the Oxford Middle East Review. She has a B.A. in Political Science with minors in Economics and Classical Studies from the George Washington University.
Kelly has research proficiency in Persian which she studied at Oxford as well as in Tajikistan with a Critical Language Scholarship awarded in 2018. She additionally possesses beginner Arabic skills from her experience studying in Amman, Jordan in 2021.