Riva Levinson

K. RIVA LEVINSON is the President and CEO of KRL International LLC, a Washington, DC-based consultancy providing comprehensive services to bridge the divide between the United States and the world’s emerging markets.

Ms. Levinson has managed projects across the globe, though it is in Africa where she has dedicated herself, particularly in post-conflict environments. The Hill, a prominent Washington newspaper, said Ms. Levinson, “has been in trickier spots and taken up more daunting causes than all but a few other lobbyists in town.”

Prior to founding KRL, Ms. Levinson served as Managing Director at BKSH & Associates (now the Prime Policy Group), owned by Burson-Marsteller and Young & Rubicam. At BKSH, she directed the company’s international practice.

Ms. Levinson has been interviewed by Forbes, Fortune, the New York Times, and National Public Radio's "All Things Considered." She has been profiled in the London Guardian, Le Monde and CQ Roll Call and featured on CSPAN, is a regular contributor to The Hill, and has appeared on Voice of America television and CNN.

Ms. Levinson is also the author of Choosing the Hero: My Improbable Journey and the Rise of Africa's First Woman President, a highly acclaimed memoir which describes her adventures working in some of the world’s most dangerous places, highlighting her decades of work on behalf of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first woman elected to lead an African nation, and recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. The book is a finalist for Forward Reviews INDIES ‘Book of the Year’ Awards in autobiography and memoir.

Ms. Levinson has a B.A. in Economics & International Affairs from Tufts University, a M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University and has taken graduate courses at the University of Barcelona in Political Economy.