Alison Long

Project Director

Alison Long is a senior Measurement, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) expert with over 15 years of experience designing, leading, and strengthening MEL systems for complex development and humanitarian programs across East Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. She brings deep technical expertise in MEL leadership, program design, theories of change, and adaptive learning, with a strong focus on inclusive, locally led, and evidence-driven programming.

Alison has provided strategic MEL leadership to large, multi-donor portfolios funded by USAID, DFID/FCDO, Danida, and others, supporting coherent results frameworks and accountability systems across diverse consortia of local, international, and UN partners. Her work spans key sectors including good governance and accountability, peacebuilding and social cohesion, gender equity and women’s empowerment, youth and economic development, and climate adaptation and community resilience. She has led the design and quality assurance of numerous baseline and endline evaluations, MEL system reviews, and learning initiatives, ensuring that evidence meaningfully informs decision-making and program adaptation.

In East Africa, Alison has played a central role in strengthening governance and accountability initiatives in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia, including leading MEL for high-profile electoral and citizen engagement programs and supporting country-level MEL strategies for portfolios valued from several million to over one billion dollars. She is widely recognized for her ability to build MEL capacity, mentor national and regional teams, and facilitate high-quality learning and reflection processes that translate data into action.

Prior to her current role as Project Director with Lhassa Consulting, Alison served as MEAL Technical Advisor for Catholic Relief Services in East Africa, as well as in senior MEL leadership roles with DAI, Integrity, IBTCI, and international NGOs across fragile and conflict-affected contexts. She holds a Master’s degree in Peace and Global Affairs from American University and a Bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from Princeton University.