Senior Advisor

Carol Yost has been with The Asia Foundation since 1986. In 1993 she designed and launched a dedicated program to increase women’s participation in public decision-making and political processes to address their priority issues. As director of the Women’s Empowerment Program, she oversees all of the Foundation’s programs to advance women across the Asia-Pacific region in conjunction with the Foundation’s country field offices and local partner organizations. Based in Washington, DC, Yost travels to Asia regularly to collaborate with the Foundation’s expert staff to develop programs that further women’s political participation, legal rights, education, and economic opportunity and to support efforts that combat violence against women and trafficking of women and children. Regional and cross-border initiatives complement in-country activities to accelerate transfer of lessons learned and to build support networks.

Carol Yost works closely with women leaders and women’s organizations throughout Asia to build networks and create sustainable resources for women. She is an experienced speaker on the challenges facing women and strategies and programs that address women’s priority issues.

For over a decade, Yost has been directly involved with all of the Foundation’s programs to expand opportunities for Asian girls and women including educating poor rural girls in Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Cambodia; health and legal rights education for Chinese migrant women workers in the Pearl River Delta manufacturing zone; and micro-credit and vocational training in Pakistan, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Education: Bachelor’s degree from Denison University; master’s degree from American University.