Rob Lalka

Rob Lalka serves in the Secretary of State’s Office of Global Partnerships, where he coordinates Partners for a New Beginning, a global coalition that invests in ten emerging markets based on local priorities. Rob manages partnerships for entrepreneurship, employment, and youth issues, with a focus on the Middle East / North Africa. He received the Department of State’s Superior Honor Award for his work on the Department’s policy and legal guidelines for partnerships.

Previously, Rob worked in investment banking with Wachovia, consulted on partnerships at the World Bank and UN, and served as an AmeriCorps volunteer after Hurricane Katrina. He is a graduate of Yale University and holds his master’s degree from Duke University. In 2011, Rob was named one of the Top 99 Leaders Under 33 by Diplomatic Courier and he became a World Economic Forum Global Shaper.