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Dr. Daniela Ligiero
Founder, Brave Movement, Member of the Brave Movement’s SAGE (Survivor Advocates Globally Empowered – advisory board); CEO, Together for Girls
Dr. Daniela Ligiero is the CEO and President of Together for Girls (TfG), a global partnership dedicated to ending violence against children and adolescents, especially sexual violence. Under her leadership, TfG uses a comprehensive, interconnected approach that aligns data, solutions, accountability, and advocacy to drive systemic change.
TfG’s strategy is built on four core initiatives: the Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS), which generate national data to inform action; the Safe Futures Hub, a platform for evidence-based solutions; the Out of the Shadows Index, which tracks national progress; and the Brave Movement, a survivor-led global advocacy initiative co-founded by Dr. Ligiero in 2022.
Previously, Dr. Ligiero served as Vice President of Girls and Women’s Strategy at the UN Foundation, where she developed the organization’s first gender integration strategy. She also held senior roles at the U.S. Department of State, where she helped launch the first U.S. global strategy to end gender-based violence and co-designed the PEPFAR DREAMS initiative—one of the largest global investments in adolescent girls’ health.
Earlier in her career, she held leadership roles at UNICEF and worked with the World Bank and the U.S. Senate. A survivor of childhood sexual violence herself, Dr. Ligiero has shared her experience publicly for more than a decade to help break stigma and inspire action.
She holds a doctorate in counseling psychology and is fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French. She has lived and worked across Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the U.S., and brings a global, multicultural perspective to her work.
Dr. Ligiero lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with her husband and two daughters. In her free time, she enjoys scuba diving, furniture making, meditation, and time with her family.
Through her leadership, advocacy, and lived experience, she continues to advance global efforts to ensure children and adolescents can grow up safe, supported, and free from violence.
"There is so much silence and shame around abuse and violence. I started sharing my own story over a decade ago because I was done carrying the shame. There are so many survivors out there and I was driven to be the voice breaking the silence so that others feel less alone and know that there is hope and the ability to heal. For many years I have pursued this dream of building a movement to address the global enormity of sexual violence against children and adolescents. We believe there is power in mobilizing at a global level, while ensuring national and local levels are connected and mobilized to put pressure on governments, leaders, and decision-makers to take action. Together we are powerful and with our collective passion, dedication, and voice we will create transformational change for generations to come. We are Brave so that children can be safe everywhere."
