Commissioner Dr. Krista Bywater

Dr. Krista Bywater leads the Rights, Inclusion, & Social Empowerment (RISE) Team at Save the Children directing the agency’s gender equality, disability inclusion, and racial equity portfolio. She spearheads U.S. and global strategy and program development including initiatives to advance girls’ and women’s empowerment and rights and end gender-based violence. Before joining Save the Children, Krista served as a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Advisor at numerous organizations including the U.S. Agency for International Development and Project Concern International. She has advanced integration of gender equality and social inclusion throughout multi-sectoral programs spanning education, healthcare, food security, nutrition, economic opportunity, and child protection.​

Prior to working as a development practitioner, Krista was an assistant professor of sociology and has extensive research and teaching experience in gender studies, social inequality, research methods, and environmental sociology.​

A Ward 4 resident, Dr. Bywater earned her Bachelor of Arts from Barry University and both her Master of Arts and her Doctor of Philosophy from University of California, Santa Barbara.

This webpage was last updated on August 17, 2026.