Erika Rydergaard

Erika Rydergaard

Deputy Chief of Party
Europe & Eurasia, Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Civil Society, Gender Equality & Inclusion, Governance

Erika Hellsing Rydergaard is a senior program officer at IREX, where she specializes in media development programs in Europe, Eurasia, and Latin America.

Erika currently works on the SAFE - Securing Access to Free Expression Initiative and the Participación Cívica project. Within SAFE, her role supports program activities in Europe and Eurasia as well as program monitoring and evaluation.

Before joining IREX, Erika worked with civil society organizations and in support of local governance in Europe and Eurasia. She speaks Russian, French, and Swedish. She has lived and worked in Moldova, Russia, France, the United Kingdom, and Sweden.

Erika holds a master of arts from the University of Uppsala and a bachelor of arts from the University of Essex.