Emily Owen joins the GHD program after seven years of teaching in international schools in Turkey and Egypt, respectively. Starting out as an EFL coordinator for elementary students, after two years she moved into secondary education implementing the International Baccalaureate curriculum for the Diploma Program in Cairo and Istanbul. While living in Istanbul, she also volunteered for Small Projects Istanbul teaching Syrian refugee children. Her experience volunteering with vulnerable populations prompted Emily to leave the classroom setting to pursue a career focused on the intersection of education and conflict/post conflict situations.

Emily hails from Cedar Falls, Iowa where she graduated cum laude from the University of Northern Iowa with a bachelor's in Applied Linguistics and is a licensed K-12 English Language Specialist. Her primary area of interest is the MENA region and she speaks French proficiently, in addition to studying Arabic and Turkish.