Jehane Sedky

Jehane Sedky is a seasoned senior executive with an excellent record in leadership roles, providing strategic guidance and support to influential leaders such as former US President Bill Clinton, former UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy and the late Harvard University Professor Dr. Paul Farmer. Her expertise spans a wide spectrum of responsibilities, including leading major initiatives, strategic program development for social impact, fundraising, media, and communications. Renowned for exceptional leadership and people management skills, Ms. Sedky excels in unifying teams toward common goals. Notably, she served as President Clinton’s senior advisor and head of office during his tenure as UN Special Envoy for Haiti and, earlier, as his spokesperson and speechwriter for his role as the UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery. Additionally, she served as head of office for the late Dr. Paul Farmer’s UN team, and later as the Co-Director of the think tank he founded, the Science of Implementation Initiative. With a background in international relations and human rights law, Ms. Sedky values cutting edge research and how to translate scholarship into practice.

Prior to her work with President Clinton and Dr. Paul Farmer, Ms. Sedky played a pivotal role as senior strategic advisor to UN Assistant Secretary-General responsible for countries in crisis. In this chief of staff role, Ms. Sedky was instrumental in shaping the strategic direction and overall program strategy of a 200-person global operation.

Ms. Sedky has authored a book on children and armed conflict and a chapter in Paul Farmer’s book Haiti After the Earthquake. In addition, the primary research she led at the United Nations and later at the Science of Implementation Initiative has been cited in Paul Farmer’s books and various articles. Earlier in her career, Ms. Sedky served a stint at CNN International and later led the UNICEF child protection media strategy and Global Media Relations team responsible for spearheading the organization’s child rights messaging across 150 country offices.

Raised in Egypt, Ms. Sedky speaks four languages and is the proud mother of three. In her free time, she leads a youth group that supports the homeless in Cambridge, Massachusetts and volunteers for Partakers, an organization that provides mentorship to formerly incarcerated individuals.