Darshana Patel is currently a consultant to the Social Development Department’s Budget Transparency Initiative and a climate change adaptation project in Guyana, where she is currently based. She has also worked with CommGAP and the South Asia Agriculture & Rural Development as a social accountability consultant, researching and writing on the role of communication in strengthening accountability and governance.
Prior to this work, she facilitated a joint political platform building process with youth and student party leaders in Nepal; worked with DC-based community groups, teachers and parents in transforming the decision making around public schools; and advocated through the U.S. Congress for more democratic corporate and international trade policy. She holds a BSc in Economics and Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh and a MA in Governance and Development from the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex.