Melinda Taylor

Melinda Taylor leads RTI’s International Education Division, with approximately 500 staff working across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the US and Europe. With 25 years of experience leading and working on education improvement programs around the world, 15 of those living and working in South Africa, Nigeria, Cambodia and Thailand, Ms. Taylor is a proven leader and manager of programs, projects, and staff working to improve learning, teaching, schools and education systems in low- and middle-income countries. Her technical expertise includes systems and methods for teacher professional development, education management and governance, integrated health and education programming, and local capacity and organizational development.

Ms. Taylor’s experience ranges from the grassroots level, directly training teachers in rural Cambodian schools, to policy dialogue with government and donor officials globally. Prior to joining RTI, Ms. Taylor worked with a number of international NGOs and the U.S. Agency for International Development in Cambodia and Nigeria, serving as basic education advisor and later deputy team leader for USAID/Nigeria's integrated health and education program. Her first position with RTI was as the project director of a large USAID-funded education improvement program in South Africa, from 2005-2009.