Ekaterina Strikeleva, PhD candidate, Master of Physical Geography, Water Initiative support (WIS) Program Manager of CAREC. She has over 15 years of experience in management and implementation of environmental and water programs in Central Asian region. Ekaterina joined CAREC in 2010 and since then, both leaded and contributed to resource mobilization efforts and development of institutional systems and guiding documents, such as the concept on CAREC’s Development Fund, provisions on the executive director, management group and others.

Under her management since 2011, the WIS Program became the largest within CAREC and supports staff in all CAREC country offices and in Afghanistan. She managed a project portfolio of over 10 regional projects with a total budget of over $15 mil, for a wide variety of donors including USAID, EU, Norway, GIZ, UNECE. The regional projects are focused on integrated water resources management, basin planning, ecosystem services, nexus approach for water, food and energy, sustainable water management and stakeholders’ engagement in Central Asia, water quality and water supply.