Yulia Lukasheva Melara is the Deputy Operations Manager of the Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) of the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the General Counsel. CLDP provides training and consultative services to countries in economic transition. This technical assistance supports legal and regulatory reforms that encourage market-driven trade and investment in those countries. Ms. Melara served as International Program Specialist, and Senior International Program Specialist focusing on Central Asia and Ukraine before assuming her current Deputy Operations Manager duties. Prior to joining CLDP in 2014, Ms. Melara worked for various international development organizations, such as USAID funded contractors, international NGOs, and U.S. Embassies in Honduras and Belize. As a Program Specialist for USAID’s Global Training for Development Project implemented by the Academy for Educational Development, she supported USAID-funded short-term training programs providing technical assistance to government officials in Kyrgyzstan. She also worked with the American Council for Collaboration in Education and Language Study implementing higher education exchange programs in Kyrgyzstan, and a British NGO Everychild managing a project for children and families at risk. Ms. Melara received her Bachelor of Arts Degree with honors in Journalism from the American University in Central Asia and spent one year as an exchange student at the University of Oregon, Eugene. Ms. Melara is originally from Kyrgyzstan, speaks fluent Russian and conversational Spanish.