Bouchra Lawrence is the manager of programs and outreach at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. Prior to joining the institute, Lawrence served as a finance officer for Solidarity Center’s regional office, based in Morocco and covering North Africa. In that position, she managed a number of programs funded by the National Endowment for Democracy and the Department of State. She has knowledge and experience dealing with Middle Eastern macro and microeconomic dynamics and realities, local banking and financial institutions, and the political and cultural contexts policy and program implementation. She also served as a professor of community-based learning at AMIDEAST Morocco for a course working with local NGOs accredited by Mohamed V University, where she assisted undergraduate students investigating complex social problems that impact Arab societies. She has several years of research experience in both academic and corporate settings, and has published articles on North African politics and economics. She holds a master’s degree from Tufts University’s Fletcher School, with specialization in international business relations, international development, and Middle Eastern history and politics. She speaks fluent Arabic and French and has a working knowledge of Spanish.