Dr. Rebecca Devitt is an international specialist in gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI). Dr. Devitt brings 15-plus years of experience in policy development, corporate strategy, and program design and implementation of large-scale, technically complex development programs across Southeast Asia and the Pacific. She has achieved development outcomes by engaging with governments, civil society, research, multilateral, and donor partners. Her expertise extends to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander equality, inclusive governance, and civil society-led reform.
Dr. Devitt joined Abt’s International Technical Practice (ITP) in January 2022 to advance the company’s equity agenda in its international programs. She provides strategic and technical advice for programs in health sector strengthening, governance, and women’s economic empowerment, as well as Abt corporate initiatives. Rebecca is GEDSI Adviser for the Systems Strengthening for Effective Coverage of New Vaccines in the Pacific project funded by the Asian Development Bank.
Dr. Devitt was previously Technical Lead for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), where she advanced GPE’s gender equality mainstreaming and Girls’ Education Accelerator Grant. Prior to that, she served as First Secretary, Gender, Inclusion and Strategy at the Australian Embassy, Jakarta. There, Dr. Devitt led a team of local staff to deliver large, politically sensitive programs in gender equality and women’s empowerment; social inclusion; and justice and democratic governance. She oversaw GEDSI corporate strategy and accountability, and provided technical advice to increase GEDSI performance. Dr. Devitt has led the research, design, and monitoring and evaluation of programs and influenced policy in areas of social inclusion, gender-based violence, governance, and women’s economic empowerment.
Expertise
- Gender equality, disability, and social inclusion approaches to development
- Inclusive governance
- Women’s economic empowerment
- Knowledge to policy
- Civil society led reform
Key Projects
- Systems Strengthening for Effective Coverage of New Vaccines in the Pacific
Publications
- ‘Healing the heartbreak’?: The role of testimony in the Australian Inquiry into the separation of Indigenous children from their families’, in the Special Issue ‘Decolonising Testimony: On the Possibilities and Limits of Witnessing’, Humanities Research, vol. xv, no. 3, 2009. http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p15131/pdf/041.pdf
Education
- Doctorate of Philosophy, Gender Studies, School of Humanities, Australian National University, 2008
Awards/Honors
- Gender, Inclusion and Strategy Unit team award for outstanding service to advancing gender equality culture in the workplace, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia (2021).
- Australian National University Postgraduate Award, (1998-2001)