Ms. Saiyora Saimurodova is currently a program specialist with the USAID Local Governance and Citizen Participation Project at the Urban Institute in Tajikistan where she provides planning, budgeting, coordination, and monitoring support to the project’s Citizen Participation & Media component focusing on capacity building of local government systems in Tajikistan.  She has coordinated programs at The International Foundation for Elections Systems (IFES), where she worked closely with political parties and election commissions in preparation for Parliamentarian and Presidential elections, and at CARE International, where she worked on the project “Reduction of Violence against Women” in rural areas to promote awareness on basic human rights, education, health, etc.  She received a master’s degree in sociology from Hyderabad Central University, India.  During her fellowship year, Ms. Saimurodova will focus on civic participation in local governance, conflict resolution, public finance, and urban management.