Kate Almquist-Knopf

Kate Almquist Knopf has spent nearly three decades focused on the intersection of security, development, and governance in Africa. She served most recently as Director of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, an academic institution within the U.S. Department of Defense, from 2014 to 2021.

From 2001 to 2009, Kate held several senior positions at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), including as Assistant Administrator for Africa, USAID/Sudan Mission Director, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa, and Senior Policy Advisor to the Administrator. During her tenure at USAID, she re-established the USAID mission in Sudan after 14 years of closure and was an integral member of the U.S. team mediating the end of the Sudanese civil war as well as the violence in Darfur. Kate has also served as a senior advisor for the CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation and a visiting policy fellow at the Center for Global Development.

Kate holds an M.A. in international relations with concentrations in African studies, conflict management, and international economics from The Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC, and a B.A. in international relations from The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.