Jessica Lenz

Jessica Lenz is InterAction’s Senior Advisor for Protection, leading the organization’s work on Results-Based Protection and the GBV Prevention Evaluation Framework. With more than 25 years of experience in humanitarian protection, she has worked with international NGOs, U.N. agencies and donors to advance child protection and gender-based violence programming in conflict-affected settings.

A recognized expert on children affected by armed conflict, Jessica brings a systems-thinking approach to strengthening locally led protection mechanisms and fostering community resilience. She is the co-founder of Empowering Hands, a women-led organization in Northern Uganda that supports the reintegration and psychosocial well-being of children affected by conflict.

Jessica has authored numerous studies, tools and guidance on child protection and contributed to Working with Children Affected by Armed Violence: Theory, Method, Practice. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the American University of Paris and a joint Master of Science degree, awarded with distinction, through Oxford University, Oxford Brookes University and the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam.