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Nighisti Dawit headshot.

Nighisti Dawit, MSc

She/Her

Senior Project Manager, Policy Initiatives

Nighisti Dawit headshot.

Nighisti Dawit is the Senior Project Manager of Policy Initiatives at the Center on the Developing Child. Joining the Center in February 2023, Nighisti works to make the science of early childhood development actionable for key audiences; further the Center’s strategy to build the capacity of public leaders to understand, communicate, and apply the science of early childhood; and build and cultivate relationships with policy partners. As someone who has centered her career on one principal goal—to make the world a better and safer place for children, particularly children facing adversity—Nighisti has found working for the Center to be a perfect fit.

Nighisti previously worked for the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), where she led government relations activities, translated research findings for policy-oriented audiences, and managed the production and dissemination of a variety of products. Before SRCD, Nighisti worked for the Food Research & Action Center, where she had the opportunity to work with an extensive network of national, state, and local anti-hunger organizations to improve children’s access to federal child nutrition programs. Nighisti holds an MSc in social policy and planning from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a BA in psychology with a minor in human development from the University of Maryland, College Park.