Lameese Madi
مرحبا/ Bonjour/ Hello

Lameese
Madi

I manage justice-reform and development programs, keep federal awards compliant, and communicate across English, Arabic and French. Next, I want to bring that experience and my languages to case studies, policy analysis and best-practice research for founders and organizations working across borders.

Work with me Read my work Based in San Francisco · available for consulting

Where the work has taken me

From Kansas in 2012 to San Francisco today, with work on four continents along the way. Follow the numbers.

    What I do

    Three kinds of work, one through-line: making institutions work for the people they serve.

    $13MState Dept. portfolio, Tunisia

    Justice & governance programs

    Access to justice and anti-corruption programs in Tunisia, including support on digitizing court records, working with law faculties and civil society and supporting Ministry of Justice events.

    $25MU.S.-funded project, Egypt

    Grants, compliance & finance

    Grant budget analysis, procurement, sub-grant management, contract modifications and donor reporting for U.S. government-funded programs in Tunisia and Egypt.

    3Working languages

    Multilingual communication

    Policy briefs, reports, public-facing materials and trainings delivered in Arabic, French and English for government, donor and community audiences.

    Selected experience

    Work history

    2023 – 2025

    Resident Program Officer · National Center for State Courts

    Worked on three concurrent U.S. State Department-funded programs focused on access to justice and anti-corruption, with some support on digitizing court records. Handled grant budget analysis, procurement, vendor compliance checks and monthly and quarterly donor reporting. Monitored Tunisian and regional news relevant to the programs. Managed grants and compliance for five civil-society sub-grantees, supported conferences and events for Tunisia's Ministry of Justice, and ran national debate competitions across six law faculties. Delivered trainings in Arabic, French and English.

    Tunis, Tunisia
    2023

    North & West Africa Program Associate · DAI Global

    Supported a $25M U.S. government-funded macroeconomic stabilization and reform project in Egypt: invoicing, budget tools, forecasts, contract modifications, consultant mobilization and donor compliance audits.

    Bethesda, MD / Cairo
    2022

    Social Policy Practicum · UNICEF Madagascar

    Final-semester practicum for my M.A. at the Middlebury Institute. Wrote the 79-page bilingual Synthesis of Social Policy & Best Practices and five published field stories on cash-transfer programs and child well-being.

    Antananarivo
    2022

    Research Associate · Alliance for Citizen Engagement

    Co-led the Middle East research team, editing nonpartisan policy briefs on the MENA region for the ACE Quarterly.

    Remote
    2021

    Arabic Bilingual Language Assistant · Middlebury Language Schools

    Served as the main Arabic-language point of contact for students and faculty in Middlebury's summer Arabic immersion program, one of the most respected in the U.S. Designed and led school-wide cultural events and activities, produced the school's calendars, posters and programs, and coordinated with campus offices.

    Middlebury, VT
    2019 – 2020

    Peace Corps Volunteer · Peace Corps Georgia

    Designed English lessons that met the requirements of Georgia's Ministry of Education, co-taught students in grades 2 to 12 in two village schools, and organized an all-girls camp.

    Republic of Georgia

    Earlier: research and communications at the Policy Center for the New South and reporting for Morocco World News in Rabat (2017–2018).

    Consulting

    Support for organizations and founders working across borders

    Research & case studies

    Comparative case studies, policy briefs and context analysis, drawing on sources in Arabic, French and English.

    Monitoring, evaluation & reporting

    Weekly news monitoring from French- and Arabic-language sources, M&E frameworks, and donor reports with plain-language summaries of findings.

    Proposals & grant compliance

    Concept notes, narratives, logframes and budgets, plus sub-award setup, procurement files, expense review and audit readiness under U.S. federal requirements.

    Bilingual communications & training

    Arabic, French and English briefs and press materials, and capacity-building workshops for partners and staff.

    Interested in working together? Get in touch.

    Where I'm headed

    Case studies, policy analysis and best-practice research, in three languages

    I've spent years inside the systems that fund and govern institutions. Next, I want to use that experience, along with my Arabic, French and English, to help founders and organizations understand the landscape they're working in.

    Languages

    Measured on the European (CEFR) scale

    Education

    Training

    2022

    M.A., International Policy & Development

    Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Monterey. Paul D. Coverdell Fellow for returned Peace Corps Volunteers. Final-semester practicum with UNICEF Madagascar.

    2018

    Advanced Arabic

    Qalam wa Lawh, Rabat. Ten months of intensive Modern Standard Arabic.

    2017

    B.A., Modern Languages: French

    Kansas State University, with summer study at the Institut Catholique de Paris.

    Writing

    Publications & research

    Research report

    Synthesis of Social Policy & Best Practices

    UNICEF Madagascar, 2022. A 79-page review of the Social Policy Section using a literature review, SWOT and stakeholder analysis, and country case studies, ending in best-practice recommendations.

    PDF
    Journal

    MENA migration policy briefs

    Nonpartisan briefs for the ACE website and ACE Quarterly, as co-lead of the Middle East research team.

    EN

    UNICEF Madagascar

    Field stories · 2022 · English & French

    Morocco World News

    Reporting from Rabat & Washington · 2017–2018
    Show 7 more articles

    Let's talk.On en parle ? · لنتحدث

    Send me a message

    For consulting, speaking, or a copy of my full CV. I reply in English, French or Arabic.