Dr. Ana Pantelic is an international development professional who leads organizations driving social impact at the intersection of systems change, inclusive innovation, and economic opportunity. With 15+ years of experience on four continents, she specializes in poverty reduction through the lens of finance. Over the course of her careers, she has developed and enhanced national social protection systems in low-income countries, founded and scaled a successful digital social impact start-up, and designed evidence-based solutions through which public and private actors work in tandem to achieve results at scale.
Ana is currently the Executive Director of MIT D-Lab, which works with people around the world to develop and advance collaborative approaches and practical solutions to global poverty challenges through interdisciplinary courses, research in collaboration with global partners, technology development, and community initiatives. The mission is pursued through interdisciplinary MIT classes, research in collaboration with global partners, technology development, and community initiatives - all of which emphasize experiential learning, real-world projects, and community-led development.
Prior to joining MIT, Ana spent two years in Uganda with UNICEF as the Social Policy Manager and interim Chief of Social Policy, where she was responsible for the design, management, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of all stages of social policy programming and related advocacy. She worked with the government to design more inclusive policies, spearheaded the launch of the country’s first urban social protection program for adolescent girls, advocated for greater fiscal allocations to the social sector, and strengthened the humanitarian-development nexus across the United Nations offices and donor community.
Before that, she spent nearly eight years with Fundación Capital, an international social enterprise improving the financial lives of millions of families living in poverty. As Chief Strategy Officer based in New York, she led impact and innovation processes globally and across the organization, increasing visibility through funding and awards (including from the Skoll and Schwab Foundations) and researching women's economic empowerment. As the founder of LISTA, an award-winning digital solution proven to improve the financial health of nearly a million low-income people across a dozen countries, she was based in Colombia and advanced the organization's digital solutions portfolio.
Earlier in her career, she worked with the University of Belgrade at the Center for Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development, with USAID on the Municipal Economic Growth Activity, and with the Spanish Ministry of Education's Auxiliares Program, among others, on issues related to environmental policy, sustainability, and local economic development.
Ana's work has been featured globally in academic research and practitioner literature, through case studies and online courses, and was even featured in a documentary film. She has been invited to share her insights at nearly 100 conferences in more than 20 countries, and has authored several publications, including the book "Disrupting poverty in developing countries," published by the Institute for International Politics and Economics in Serbia. She has also worked with the National Science Fund of Serbia to identify cutting edge social science research for investment, provides peer review for the UK-based journal Development in Practice, lends social policy and communications expertise to the Center for Rural Development and Applied Learning, and has served as a jury member for the World Summit Awards.
She holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Belgrade, as well as an MA in International Relations from the Pardee School of Global Studies and BS in Communication, both from Boston University. She grew up in the former Yugoslavia, has lived and worked on four continents, and is fluent in three languages.
Ana is currently the Executive Director of MIT D-Lab, which works with people around the world to develop and advance collaborative approaches and practical solutions to global poverty challenges through interdisciplinary courses, research in collaboration with global partners, technology development, and community initiatives. The mission is pursued through interdisciplinary MIT classes, research in collaboration with global partners, technology development, and community initiatives - all of which emphasize experiential learning, real-world projects, and community-led development.
Prior to joining MIT, Ana spent two years in Uganda with UNICEF as the Social Policy Manager and interim Chief of Social Policy, where she was responsible for the design, management, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of all stages of social policy programming and related advocacy. She worked with the government to design more inclusive policies, spearheaded the launch of the country’s first urban social protection program for adolescent girls, advocated for greater fiscal allocations to the social sector, and strengthened the humanitarian-development nexus across the United Nations offices and donor community.
Before that, she spent nearly eight years with Fundación Capital, an international social enterprise improving the financial lives of millions of families living in poverty. As Chief Strategy Officer based in New York, she led impact and innovation processes globally and across the organization, increasing visibility through funding and awards (including from the Skoll and Schwab Foundations) and researching women's economic empowerment. As the founder of LISTA, an award-winning digital solution proven to improve the financial health of nearly a million low-income people across a dozen countries, she was based in Colombia and advanced the organization's digital solutions portfolio.
Earlier in her career, she worked with the University of Belgrade at the Center for Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development, with USAID on the Municipal Economic Growth Activity, and with the Spanish Ministry of Education's Auxiliares Program, among others, on issues related to environmental policy, sustainability, and local economic development.
Ana's work has been featured globally in academic research and practitioner literature, through case studies and online courses, and was even featured in a documentary film. She has been invited to share her insights at nearly 100 conferences in more than 20 countries, and has authored several publications, including the book "Disrupting poverty in developing countries," published by the Institute for International Politics and Economics in Serbia. She has also worked with the National Science Fund of Serbia to identify cutting edge social science research for investment, provides peer review for the UK-based journal Development in Practice, lends social policy and communications expertise to the Center for Rural Development and Applied Learning, and has served as a jury member for the World Summit Awards.
She holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Belgrade, as well as an MA in International Relations from the Pardee School of Global Studies and BS in Communication, both from Boston University. She grew up in the former Yugoslavia, has lived and worked on four continents, and is fluent in three languages.
Portfolio highlights:
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TEDx Boston: Redesigning the Poverty Narrative, 2022
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TEDxSemesterAtSea: Disruptive Ideas Can Change the World, 2014
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Disrupting Poverty in Developing Countries - Book published by the Institute of International Politics and Economics in Serbia, 2017
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The Heart of Innovation: Empowering Communities with Dr. Ana Pantelic, interview on The Teleologist, 2024
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Designing and Leading for an Equitable World with Dr. Ana Pantelic, interview for The Great Full Podcast, 2023
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Designing Tech for Low-Income Families in the Global South, interview for the Tech Matters Podcast, 2021
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Bridging Theory and Practice in Economic Citizenship, interview for the Innovate Podcast, 2017
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Participatory Design of Services for the Poor, interview for the Social Entrepreneur Podcast, 2016
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