Alessandra Pinna

Alessandra Pinna is the Director of Latin America and the Caribbean programs at Freedom House. In this capacity, she leads programs on democratic governance, civic engagement, strengthening of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Latin America, and oversees Washington-based and regional staff.

Alessandra brings nearly two decades of experience in civic engagement, civil society strengthening, human rights, and democratic governance. She joined Freedom House as a Program Associate in 2013 for the Dignity for All program, which provides emergency assistance to LGBTIQ+ human rights defenders, and civil society organizations at risk. From 2013-2016, she also held senior program associate and program officer position with Dignity for All. In 2016, Alessandra joined the Freedom House’s Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) team as a senior program officer, and until 2022 held three other senior leadership positions (program manager, senior program manager and deputy director). In that capacity, she supported and led all aspects of the program, including developing a regional strategy, fundraising, implementation, and managing staff, both in the home office and the field. Alessandra also brings experience in designing and implementing advocacy initiatives to engage the United Nations, the European Union, and LAC regional bodies. Prior to Freedom House, Alessandra served as a researcher at Roma Tre University and coordinated several campaigns to foster democracy and protect human rights as a member of the Transnational Radical Party. Her research papers and articles have been published by Routledge, Palgrave Macmillan, Taylor & Francis, and MCU Press among others. She received her PhD in Political Science and Democracy Studies from the Istituto Italiano di Scienze Umane/Scuola Normale Superiore.