Dina Refki, D.A.

Category 4: Distinguished Career



Dina Refki is a scholar, researcher, and public service leader whose work focuses on gender equity, immigrant integration, and inclusive public policy. She serves as Executive Director of the Center for Women in Government & Civil Society and Executive Director of the Institute on Immigrant Integration Research and Policy. She is also a Clinical Professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy.

Dr. Refki’s scholarship examines the interplay of gender and institutional structures in the United States and internationally, applying gender mainstreaming and budgeting approaches from transnational perspectives. Her research explores women’s political leadership, migration and immigrant integration, health disparities, and the structural barriers facing immigrant women and their families. Her work has been supported by agencies including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the New York State Department of Health.

Prior to leading the Center in 2009, Dr. Refki held several positions within the Center, including Director of the Immigrant Women & State Policy Program, where she advanced interagency collaboration and community engagement to address barriers to the social, economic, and political integration of immigrant women. She also serves as Principal Investigator of the Immigrant Integration Index and has authored numerous publications on gender, migration, and public leadership.

Under her leadership, the Center has expanded its research and educational initiatives to promote social justice, strengthen women’s leadership, and advance evidence-based policies that foster equity and inclusion across government and civil society.