Lynne J. Davidson

Lynne Davidson is an academic and global development leader with over 30 years of experience in impact measurement, global health, academic administration, and equity and inclusion. She is the president of Lynne J. Davidson, LLC, where she works with nonprofits, foundations, and corporations to measure the social value of their programs and investments.

Prior to founding her consultancy, Lynne served as executive director of 2020 MicroClinic Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing maternal and infant mortality rates in low-income countries, with a focus on making prenatal care more accessible and improving vaccination rates. Earlier in her career, she served as vice provost at the University of Rochester, and as an independent consultant to a wide range of organizations on issues of equity, poverty, and microfinance.

Lynne was named one of the 100 Leading Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine in 2016, a recognition of her contributions to international development and health equity.

Lynne holds a BA in economics and political science from Northwestern University, an MPA in domestic policy analysis from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, and a PhD in political science from the University of Rochester. Her doctoral dissertation is among the first rigorous cost analyses of expanding public health insurance to uninsured children, and its findings — that investing in children’s health coverage is both fiscally responsible and socially impactful — have been echoed in national and state health policy.