Melissa Cawtrha has joined Global Integrity as Project Manager out of our Cape Town office. A native of Durban, South Africa, Cawthra will be working on our Africa Integrity Indicators effort, a collaboration between Global Integrity and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation to strengthen the Ibrahim Index of African Governance.
She holds honor degrees in French literature, translation and media studies from the University of KwazuluNatal in Durban, as well as a Masters in international affairs by the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences-Po) in Paris.
Throughout her career, Cawthra has worked as a freelance French translator and editor in South Africa, as a project assistant in the Honorary Consulate of Belgium in Durban, and at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Regional Office for Southern Africa.
The organization’s novel work on corruption and governance issues around the world, and especially in Africa, was what motivated Cawthra to apply for the position, she said.
“It is very important to gather information about corruption and Global Integrity does it from an independent standpoint,” she said. “There is definitely a gap in this type of research out there, particularly coming from Africa.”
In her spare time, Cawthra is a dancer with expertise in modern and contemporary works. She is also a fan of alternative music, including bands like The Postal Service and Mumford and Sons.
-Julio C. Urdaneta
