Director, Landesa Center for Women’s Land Rights

Elisa Scalise

Elisa Scalise is a land law and policy attorney specializing in women’s access to and control over land. Scalise’s work has covered such things as analyzing formal and customary law on property rights, inheritance and marital property regimes; evaluating formal and informal dispute resolution mechanisms; and drafting practical plans to ensure that the most vulnerable members of society benefit from land tenure reform efforts. She has experience in international and comparative law and both civil code and common law systems and has extensive project management, research, drafting and editing experience.

Scalise’s geographic experience includes Australia, Burundi, China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Netherlands, Rwanda, and Uganda. She earned her J.D. magna cum laude from Seattle University School of Law and a graduate diploma in public policy and management from Melbourne University. She also holds a B.A. in political science and a B.A. in women’s studies from Monash University. Scalise is a native English speaker, is fluent in Italian and speaks basic French.