Marcela Escobari

Marcela is Executive Director of Harvard’s Center for International Development which creates, applies, and integrates knowledge about sustainable solutions for global poverty. Previously, she led the Americas region and served on the Executive Committee of the OTF Group, a strategy consulting firm that advises private and public sector leaders on how to improve export competitiveness. At OTF, she also led strategy projects for private companies in corporate strategy, product positioning and market entry, and was responsible for business development, raising over $11 million from donor agencies and foundations for development projects. Prior to working at OTF, Marcela worked with indigenous communities in Bolivia for the World Bank and was a mergers and acquisitions investment banker at J.P. Morgan in New York. Marcela’s native country is Bolivia. She holds an M.P.P. from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a B.A. in economics from Swarthmore College.