Natalie Petrulla

Prior to becoming a Leland Fellow, Natalie worked as a Gender Integration Associate with EnCompass on the USAID Feed the Future Advancing Women’s Empowerment program, providing technical assistance for gender integration in agriculture and market systems programs. She conducted qualitative research and developed practical tools focused on increasing women’s decision-making power in production and beyond production activities and addressing issues of gender-based violence in agriculture. Natalie also served as a Food Security Extension Agent in Peace Corps Benin, where she and her local counterparts designed and implemented programs at the intersection of gender and food security in the community. Together, they supported 50 Village Savings and Loans Associations, worked with women’s groups to develop agriculturally based income generating activities, and designed programs to educate youth on nutrition-sensitive agriculture. Originally from New Jersey, Natalie holds a BA in Public Policy and Environmental Science from New York University.