In her role as Project Team Director within the Center for Secure and Stable States, Skye Perske is focused on ensuring excellence in DAI programming, thought leadership in countering violent extremism (CVE), and new business activities. She oversees DAI’s CVE project portfolio, including programs in Kenya and the Philippines.

Skye brings to the Center deep experience designing, implementing, monitoring, and leading development programs for DAI. Her work for the past 10 years has focused on security issues in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and North, Central, and West Africa. She served as the Chief of Party on the AFRICOM-funded Trans-Sahara Security Symposium, a civil-military operations/relations training program in North, West, and Central Africa. Her professional background also includes political risk analysis for Fortune 500 companies and other private sector clients. Skye’s particular area of technical interest is incorporating innovation in security sector reform training and curriculum development. She speaks Arabic, French, and Italian.

• M.A., Near Eastern studies, University of Arizona
• B.A., politics and language studies, University of California, Santa Cruz