Dr. Cynthia L. Drakeman is a global expert on women’s economic empowerment with particular expertise in gender-smart investing, evidence-based policy development, private sector best practices, and women’s entrepreneurship.
Curriculum Vitae
Dr. Cynthia L. Drakeman is an internationally recognized expert on women’s economic empowerment, with particular expertise in developing gender-sensitive public policies, the field of gender-smart investing, private sector business practice, women’s market access, and women’s entrepreneurship. She is an excellent communicator and entrepreneurial team leader with proven experience building partnerships, creating novel strategies, and managing complex initiatives with multiple stakeholders.
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EXPERIENCE
DoubleXEconomy, LLC, Chief Executive Officer (2015 – present) Cindy is the founding CEO of DoubleXEconomy, a world leading research and consulting firm committed exclusively to women’s economic empowerment. Its mission is to make visible the considerable and interconnected economic activities of women, as well as to join in the worldwide effort to include them in the global economy.
Recent Accomplishments
W20 liaison to the UN Secretary General’s Special Advocate for Financial Inclusion, Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands (2019): Cindy was appointed by the Japanese Presidency of the W20 to act as a liaison between the W20 delegates and the UN Special Advocate to develop the W20 Acceleration Platform, a transformative effort launched by Her Majesty at the G20 Summit in Osaka. In this capacity she works closely with the UNSGSA’s office to ensure that the process is fully transparent and coordinated, and to harness the collective expertise of the W20 delegate community in building the platform.
Co-Chair, United States Delegation to the W20: Cindy has been part of the United States delegation to the W20 since the 2017 summit in Berlin. In 2019 she was named Co-Chair of the US delegation alongside Virginia Littlejohn for the Tokyo Summit. She was also appointed by the Japanese Presidency to be Co-Chair of the W20 Secretariat Task Force. This task force is focused on developing sustainable infrastructure to ensure the W20’s continued impact in the future. The W20 is recognized by the G20 as their official engagement group for women’s economic inclusion.
Lead Author, UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment: Cindy was lead author of the second report of the High-Level Panel, published March 2017. The panel was composed of 21 internationally recognized leaders from a variety of sectors, including the President of Costa Rica, the CEO of Ikea Switzerland, the Managing Director and Chief Global Political Analyst at Citi, the Director of UNWomen, the Vice President of Tanzania, the President of the World Bank and many other important and influential stakeholders committed to advancing women’s economic empowerment. Additionally, Cindy wrote the working group paper and tool kit for the Panel’s Driver 5 – “Changing Business Culture and Practice,” and edited the Panel’s 6 other tool kits and working group papers, published June 2017.
Member and Co-Author, T20 Gender Economic Equity Task Force: The T20 is an official engagement group of the G20 representing a global consortium of think tanks. Cindy was a member of their first task force on gender, which was first convened as part of the Argentina G20 process to help mainstream gender throughout all of the engagement groups. In this capacity, she co-authored a report on labor inclusion, represented the task force at conferences, and spoke to international audiences about the evolving policy landscape of gender and the economy.
Member, Clinton Foundation’s Haiti Women’s Economic Participation Consortium Advisory Council: The Clinton Foundation appointed Cindy to the advisory council for their Haiti Women’s Economic Participation Consortium, which was intended to help women entrepreneurs grow their business in Haiti and reach international markets. She was the only member of the council not based in Haiti.
Board Member, Solar Sister: Cindy is a member of the board of trustees of Solar Sister and chair the fundraising committee. Solar Sister is a non-profit organization that identifies, trains, and supports women entrepreneurs to sell solar products in last-mile communities in Africa. It advances women’s economic empowerment, eradicates energy poverty in some of the most underserved parts of the world, and advances penetration of green energy products in developing countries.
Editor, Private Sector Engagement with Women’s Economic Empowerment: Cindy helped University of Oxford Professor Linda Scott, launch the Global Business Coalition for Women’s Economic Empowerment in 2013, a group of ten of the world’s largest corporations including Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil, Goldman Sachs, Marks&Spencer, Mastercard, Mondelēz, Qualcomm, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, Proctor&Gamble, and Walmart. Cindy edited the first report about the coalition, which was written by Professor Scott and published by Oxford in November 2017.
Senior Content and Research Adviser, Gender-Smart Investing Summit: Cindy was the senior content and research advisor to the inaugural gender-smart investing summit, which took place in London in November of 2018, and wrote the final content report for the Summit. Working with Summit’s organizers and thought leaders from across the gender-smart investing community she developed the program, identified speakers, and conducted a series of interviews with investors and stakeholders committed to using finance to advance women’s economic empowerment.
Lead Consultant, Geneva Gender Champions Landscaping Exercise: Cindy designed and implemented a landscaping exercise with members of the Geneva Gender Champions project. This included conducting 33 confidential in-person interviews with diplomats, heads of UN agencies, and leaders of gender sensitivity programs. The final report was submitted to the GGC’s founder, then US Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Pamela Hamamoto.
Keynote Speaker, Sinergias Launch, El Salvador: Sinergias is the first network in El Salvador dedicated specifically to women’s economic empowerment. Cindy participated in the launch event as a keynote speaker in June of 2019 where she spoke to the ways that Sinergias can both contribute to and learn from the global community working towards WEE.
Strategic Adviser, Gender Strategy, El Salvador: While in El Salvador, Cindy led the senior leadership of FUSADES, El Salvador’s largest and most influential think tank, in a strategy session on gender and how it connects to their ongoing work streams, and separately met with the leadership of the DTJ Foundation to discuss how their work on democracy and rule of law is critical to creating opportunities for women in the country.
Project Manager, Power Shift Forum for Women in the World Economy: Cindy project managed the fourth Power Shift Forum for Women in the World Economy, which took place in the United States in May 2016. This involved developing the program, coordinating with Ambassador Melanne Verveer and Professor Catherine Tinsley, the Forum’s partners at Georgetown University, and working closely with the lead sponsor, the MasterCard Center for Inclusive Growth. In addition to designing the agenda, she managed the event staff, moderated a session on high level global efforts to support women’s economic empowerment, and made remarks about the goals of Power Shift and the urgency of gender equality work.
Researcher, Psychometrics Research: In order to develop a set of universal psychometrics for women’s empowerment, Professor Scott and Cindy held focus groups with historians of women’s history, and conducted in-person interviews with a variety of WEE stakeholders. This feedback is being incorporated into tools that are being field tested in DoubleXEconomy’s project in Uganda. The psychometrics research is funded by the ExxonMobil Foundation, while the Uganda project is a partnership with CARE that is funded by the Melinda Gates Grand Challenge for Women’s Economic Empowerment.
Adviser, USAID Framework for Women’s Empowerment: Cindy participated in several consultations with USAID and FHI360 on the development of the new framework for incorporating women’s empowerment into their programs.
Lead Author, Gender-Smart Investing Summit Report, 2019.
Lead Author, Gender Smart Investing Summit Report Executive Summary, 2019.
Co-Author, Achieving “25x25”: Actions to Make Women’s Labour Inclusion a G20 Priority, T20 Gender Economic Equity Task Force, 2018.
Editor, Private Sector Engagement with Women’s Economic Empowerment – Lessons Learned from Years of Practice, Linda Scott, Oxford University, 2017.
UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment:
Lead Author, Leave No One Behind: Taking Action for Transformational Change, March 2017
Author, How to change business culture and practice working group paper, June 2017
Author, How to change business culture and practice tool kit, June 2017
Editor, How to change norms in support of women’s economic empowerment: working group paper and tool kit, June 2017
Editor, How to ensure legal protections and reform discriminatory laws and regulations: working group paper and tool kit, June 2017
Editor, How to recognize, reduce and redistribute unpaid work and care: working group paper and tool kit, June 2017
Editor, How to build assets – digital, financial and property: working group paper and tool kit, June 2017
Editor, How to improve public sector practices in employment and procurement: working group paper and tool kit, June 2017
Editor, How to strengthen visibility, collective voice and representation: working group paper and tool kit, June 2017
The Hague, Netherlands, W20 Round Table with Her Majesty, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, June 2019.
San Salvador, El Salvador, Women’s Economic Empowerment: An Imperative for El Salvador, Sinergias Launch, June 2019.
Tokyo, Japan, W20 Special Session: Gender Lens Investing: Emerging Global Trends Panel, W20/WOW! Summit, March 2019.
Cairo, Egypt, Accelerating Gender Lens Investments: Gender-Smart Investing Summit 2018 Insights and Findings, December 2018.
Cairo, Egypt, American Chamber of Commerce, Insights from the Gender-Smart Investing Summit, December 2018.
Princeton University, Global Rights of Girls and Women Panel, She Roars Conference, October 2018.
Washington, DC, Panelist, Investment & Access to Capital: African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program Roundtable, US Department of State and the Small Business Association, July 2018.
Ottawa, Canada, Featured Speaker and Panelist, Gender Matters: Linking the G20 and G7 gender agendas to catalyze economic prosperity, International Development Research Centre Headquarters, June 2018
Brown University, Featured Speaker, Social Entrepreneurship and Women’s Economic Empowerment, Social Entrepreneurship Summit, June 2018
Kuwait, Keynote, Mentoring Young Women on Succeeding in the Private Sector, Women Mentor Forum, May 2018
Washington, DC, Participant, Aspen Forum on Women and Girls Roundtable Discussion: The Generation of Conversations, Leaders, and Solutions, Aspen Institute, March, 2018.
Davos, Panelist, Women for Economic Growth – All Eyes on W20/W7, Equality Lounge, January 2018
Wilton Park,UK, Discussion Group Leader, Women in Business: changing corporate culture and business practices, Taking Forward the Women’s Economic Empowerment Agenda Forum, November 2017
London, UK Panelist, Empowering Women in the Economy – how businesses and others can advance the recommendations of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel (HLP) for Women’s Economic Empowerment, HLP Tool Kit Launch Event September 2017
Berlin, Germany, Featured Speaker, Recommendations of the Financial Inclusion Committee, W20 Summit, April 2017
Haiti, Featured Speaker, How can the fashion industry support women’s economic empowerment in Haiti?, Women’s Economic Participation Consortium trade delegation, June 2017
Bangkok, Thailand, Keynote, Taking Action for Transformational Change-Report from the United Nations High Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment, SEEP 2017 WEE Global Learning Forum, May 2017
Bangkok, Thailand, Moderator, Different Perspectives, Shared Goals: Accelerating Women’s Financial Inclusion in Africa, SEEP 2017 WEE Global Learning Forum, May 2017
UNSGSA.Org, UNSGSA Queen Maxima Receives Members of G20 Women20 Network, June 2019.
Forbes Georgia – Nino Zambakhidze, “Empower Women,” January 11, 2018
Devex – Molly Anders, “How should we measure women’s economic empowerment?” September 20, 2017
SEEP Network – “WEE Forum Interview,” August 2017
DoubleXEconomy.com, “The W20 Arrives in the Land of the Rising Sun,” March 2019.
DoubleXEconomy.com, “DoubleXEconomy Goes to Davos,” January 2018
CARE International Insights, “Empowering women in the economy: the private sector is an essential partner,” September 2017
Microfinancegateway.org, “Can One Billion People Become Economically Empowered by 2030?” May 2017
DoubleXEconomy.com, “Taking Action for Transformational Change on Women’s Economic Empowerment,” March 2017
University of Oxford D.Phil. Classical Archaeology (New College, 2008), M.Phil. (2004)
Princeton University A.B. Art and Archaeology (2002)
The Lawrenceville School High School
Deputy Executive Director for External Affairs, Foundation for the National Archives (2014 – 2015) Cindy was responsible for overseeing all outward facing activities for the National Archives Foundation, including fundraising, special events, membership, marketing, and communications. The foundation supported the education, public outreach, and museum activities of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), which is a US government agency.
Director of Major Gifts, University of Oxford, North American Office (2013 – 2014, Major Gift Officer, 2011 – 2013) Cindy was part of a team that raised $90M/year (on average) for Oxford from high net worth individuals and institutions in the United States and Canada. Additionally, Cindy worked with Professor Linda Scott, then DP World Chair for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Oxford’s Saïd Business School to develop relationships with multinational corporations working on women’s economic empowerment.
Major Gift Officer, Drew University (2009 – 2011) Cindy worked with faculty and university leadership to develop strategies for fundraising around existing and new projects.
Assistant Director, Corporate Relations, American Museum of Natural History (2008 – 2009) Cindy was the manager of the Corporate Patron Program (CPP), the museum’s membership program for companies, and also drafted grant proposals, worked closely with the administrative and academic leadership of the museum to identify new funding opportunities, and created an entirely new initiative to engage life sciences CEOs in the museum’s ground-breaking work in their areas.
Adjunct Lecturer, Drew University (2010) Cindy designed and taught the graduate seminar, Myths, Magic, and Miracles: Medicine in the Ancient World
Field Supervisor, Drew in Umbria Archaeological Field School (2009)
Curatorial Assistant, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (2004)
Curatorial Assistant, Princeton University Art Museum (2004)
Excavator, Anglo-American Project in Pompeii, Pompeii, Italy (1999-2002)
Excavator Arbeia Roman Fort, South Shields, U.K. (1998)
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Fellow, Princeton AlumniCorps Emerging Leaders Program (2012-2013)
Solar Sister, Member of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Fundraising Committee; Cathedral Choral Society, Alto and Former Singer Representative to the Board of Trustees; Sanctuary of Culture Foundation, Advisory Council Member; Hilton Head Institute, former Board Member; Princeton University Alumni Schools Committee, Interviewer; Tiger2Tiger, Inc., founder and former Vice-Chair of the Board; Archaeological Institute of America, Gala Committee; Oxford University Women’s Boat Club, Fundraising and Publicity Officer, Bronze Medal, British Univ. Championships; New College Boat Club, Women’s Captain, University Champions; University College Boat Club, Men’s Head Coach; Lincoln College Boat Club, Women’s Head Coach; New College Graduate Society, Social Chair; Oxford Bach Choir, Member; The Princeton Tigressions, Soloist and Business Manager; The Princeton Tower Club, President; The Princeton InterClub Council, President.