Carolyn Stremlau is the executive director of the Banyan Tree Foundation, a private foundation in Washington, DC. The foundation supports organizations in Africa and South Asia to increase opportunities for children to obtain a quality education. It has a special interest in supporting programs that focus on the education of girls. Carolyn has been involved in Africa since 1969 and has lived in Nigeria and South Africa. She has worked with non-governmental organizations including PACT, Citizens Development Corps, Overseas Development Council, and the Ford Foundation. She holds a PhD in international development from the Fletcher School, Tufts University.