Julie N. Snyder is the Head of Research with Valar. She most recently served at the Department of State playing a leadership role in Great Lakes policy, during which she was acting Director for law enforcement and justice sector programming at U.S. Embassy Kinshasa. Previously at USAID, Julie was the Global Fragility Act focal point for Libya and a conflict and democracy advisor, supporting the Great Lakes, Francophone West Africa, and Ethiopia. A fluent French speaker, Julie has conducted research, facilitated and translated high-level meetings for senior officials, and prepared and reviewed speeches in Francophone environments. Outside of government, she has worked with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Center for Civilians in Conflict, RTI International, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, and DevLab@Duke.