Jo Bourne

Jo Bourne is Chief Technical Officer at the Global Partnership for Education, where she leads work across the partnership to strengthen education policy, strategy, program quality, and results. She draws on extensive experience in international education, including senior leadership roles at UNICEF and DFID, with a focus on equity, learning, education systems strengthening, and accountability for results. Before joining GPE in 2019, Ms. Bourne served as UNICEF’s Associate Director for Education, working with UNICEF’s global network to put equity and learning at the center of its education agenda. She was also instrumental in establishing Education Cannot Wait, the global fund for education in emergencies. Initially trained as a primary school teacher, Ms. Bourne has taught in the United Kingdom and China and has held education roles across Africa and at DFID headquarters, supporting governments and partners to develop, finance, implement, and monitor ambitious education strategies.