Geli is the 2021 Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, S.J. Scholar at the GHD program. As a second- year student, she is working on her capstone with the IDB Lab on making the AI ecosystem in LAC ethical in practice. Simultaneously, she is consulting for the World Bank’s Poverty and Equity, East Asia Region team. Last summer, she interned with USAID Learns in Vietnam wherein she led a participatory data analysis session, or a “data party”, and conducted a learning session on decolonizing development. At GHD, she is specializing in social innovation, particularly interested in how technological innovations can bring about social good.

Geli has been working in the development and policy space for seven years now. Before joining GHD, she was a senior consultant with the Asian Development Bank. Her work focused on improving capacity for statistical work of select ADB member countries. She also served as an executive assistant to the Philippine Secretary of Socioeconomic Planning. She holds BS and MA degrees in economics from the University of the Philippines, Diliman.

In her free time, she is enjoying all the things that DC offers– museums, art, cinema, embassy events, cultural events, festivals, concerts, theatre, bookstores, and just meeting people from diverse international backgrounds.