Suzanne E. Siskel

Suzanne E. Siskel is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of The Asia Foundation, overseeing its offices in 18 countries throughout Asia and San Francisco and Washington D.C., a post she has held since 2011.  Previously she worked at the Ford Foundation in New York, directing its Social Justice Philanthropy program which sought to expand support for social development, human rights, peace building and equality and to build strong local and regional foundations engaged in this work in the United States and throughout the world. She joined Ford in 1990 as program officer for Rural Poverty and Resources in Indonesia and later headed its offices in Indonesia and the Philippines.  Her work focused on strengthening civil society; promoting equitable economic development and community-based natural resources policy; and enhancing local capacity for socioeconomic research and analysis.  She also directed Ford’s global Community and Resource Development unit, providing support to organizations working in community development, local philanthropy, sexuality and reproductive health, and environment.  A social anthropologist, Suzanne has conducted research on the relationship between marginalization and shamanism among highland Maya in Chiapas, Mexico, and religious revival and poverty in northeast Brazil; and served as social development advisor to the Indonesian government.