Elisabeth Rhyne

Elisabeth Rhyne is managing director of the Center for Financial Inclusion at ACCION International, where she works to bring together microfinance leaders and private sector experts to address challenges facing the microfinance industry today.

As senior vice president of ACCION International from 2000-2008, Ms. Rhyne led ACCION’s initial entry into Africa and India and directed the organization’s research efforts to develop new financial products. In 2004, as an early advocate of consumer protection in microfinance, she led the endorsement of client protection principles by members of the ACCION Network and the MicroFinance Network. Prior to joining ACCION, Ms. Rhyne was director of the Office of Microenterprise Development at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from 1994 to 1998, where she developed and led USAID's Microenterprise Initiative. Ms. Rhyne’s experience includes eight years living in Africa (Kenya and Mozambique), consulting on microfinance policy and operations for governments, international organizations and microfinance institutions.

Ms. Rhyne holds a MA and PhD in public policy from Harvard University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history and humanities from Stanford University.