The Asia Foundation

Expertise: Politics, economics, and social issues in Sri Lanka; rule of law, access to justice, economic reform and development; alternative dispute resolution; and women's empowerment.

Dinesha de Silva Wikramanayake was named deputy country representative for The Asia Foundation's office in Sri Lanka in 1997. She has 15 years of professional experience in the field of economic development, with special interest and experience in programs on rule of law and access to justice, court administration, judicial training, and conflict resolution and mediation.

From 1995 to 1997 she was director for Law and Media of the Citizen Participation (CIPART) Project in Colombo. She also previously served with the Foundation as a program officer for Sri Lanka and the Maldives from 1991 to 1992, focusing on English-language education, women’s empowerment, media development, and economic liberalization. In between positions with the Foundation, she served as a project management specialist for USAID in Colombo, managing and subsequently redesigning a Technology Initiative for the Private Sector (TIPS) project, which provided demand-driven assistance directly to the private sector to access new technologies, improve marketing efforts, and develop linkages with foreign interests. She also previously served as an economist for the Environmental Foundation Ltd. and for six years as an economist for the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

Education: B.A. in economics from Georgetown University; M.A. in economics from Columbia University.