Katharine Valencia

Senior Legal Advisor

Katharine Valencia is a lawyer from the United States. She worked with DPLF first as an intern and then as a consultant several times since 2010. In May 2015 she re-joined the team as a Program Officer and then as Senior Legal Advisor to support several programs and to expand DPLF’s work on business and human rights.

Prior to her current position, Katharine was an associate at the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights International Strategic Litigation Unit, where she engaged in advocacy and litigation, including within the Inter-American system. In addition to her projects focused on Latin America, Katharine co-led RFK Human Rights’ program on Western Sahara.

Katharine previously worked at Georgetown Law’s Human Rights Institute. As the 2012-2013 postgraduate fellow, she collaborated with HRI’s director in the teaching of a fact-finding practicum on the human right to water as well as with the American Bar Association on an investigation and report regarding human rights defenders in Guatemala. Additionally, Katharine has worked as a consultant for Human Rights Watch and Freedom House, and as a Statelessness Fellow with Refugees International. Katharine holds a dual BA from American University, summa cum laude, and she graduated from Georgetown Law with a joint degree (J.D., and LL.M. in National Security Law with distinction).