Summer Lopez is co-Chief Executive Officer of PEN America. She joined the organization in 2017 and previously served as chief program officer, free expression; in that role, she oversaw PEN America’s advocacy, research, and programming in defense of free expression in the U.S. and globally.
Lopez previously worked for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for eight years as a democracy specialist, spending a year and a half in Zimbabwe and over six years at USAID headquarters in the Center of Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance. In that position, she played a leading role in advocating for the effective integration and promotion of democratic and human rights principles in U.S. policy, strategy, and programming in the Middle East and Asia, including during the period of the Arab Spring. She also represented USAID in the development of the first U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, issued in 2011.
Before entering government, Lopez was the vice president of operations at The AjA Project, a nonprofit organization that provides media-based programs for refugee, displaced, and immigrant youth in the U.S. and internationally. In addition to Zimbabwe, she has lived and worked in Egypt, Ghana, India, and Nepal. She holds a BA in English and American literature and language from Harvard University and a Master in Public Affairs from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.