Thought Leadership

Speaking Engagements

✓ Fireside Chat at HackMIT 2024, one of the largest hackathons in the world, September 13, 2024 (Cambridge, MA)
✓ "Tech+Touch+Trust: A Framework for Designing Effective Digital Solutions for Low-Income Users" guest lecture in MIT EC.751, EC.793 Mobiles for Development class, April 24, 2024 (Cambridge, MA)
✓ "Choosing Nonprofit, For-profit, Hybrid: Funding Your Social Enterprise," Workshop Panelist at the MIT IDEAS Social Innovation Challenge, March 16, 2024 (Cambridge, MA)
✓ Panelist at the International Development Career Social for MIT students, March 6, 2024 (Cambridge, MA)
✓ Panelist for the Boston Network for International Development's Career Panel: Land Your Dream Job, February 15, 2024 (Virtual)
✓ MIT Alumni Association Panel "MIT D-Lab: Students Engineering for Global Impact, One Problem at a Time," Moderator, December 12, 2023 (Virtual)
✓ "Designing for Complexity," Keynote at the 5th Social Entrepreneurship Summit in Cartagena, Colombia, August 31, 2023 (Virtual)
✓ Panelist at the National Science Foundation Workshop on Extreme Design, August 24, 2023 (Boston, MA)
✓ Opening remarks at MIT's Blueprint Hackathon, February 19, 2023 (Cambridge, MA)
✓ "Systems Thinking in Practice: A Focus on Finance" guest lecture in MIT 11.025 / 11.472 (G) / EC.701 / EC.781 (G) D-Lab: Development class, December 7, 2022 (Cambridge, MA)
✓ Opening remarks at MIT D-Lab's 20th Anniversary Symposium, October 21, 2022 (Cambridge, MA)
✓ "Contemporary Global Trends in Poverty Reduction through Participatory Design" keynote presentation at the First TSUE Development Strategy Forum: Global and National Economic Trends, October 21, 2022 (Video presented in Tashkent, Uzbekistan)
✓ "Driving Sustainable Global Development through Entrepreneurship" panel discussion organized by Sloan Entrepreneurs for International Development, October 12, 2022 (Cambridge, MA)
✓ "Designing for a more equitable world" presentation to NASA's Convergent Aeronautics Solutions project leadership, August 10, 2022 (Virtual)
✓ "Redesigning the Poverty Narrative" at TEDxBoston, March 7, 2022 (Boston, MA)
✓ "Supporting an enabling ecosystem for digital tech entrepreneurs in growing economies," panelist at the University Partnering for Digital Development Futures session of the ICT4D Conference, January 26, 2022 (Virtual)
✓ "Women in International Relations" guest speaker, hosted by the Pardee Women's Group at Boston University, November 30, 2021 (Virtual)
✓ "Best practices and the impact of scientific and technological cooperation" keynote speech at the Atlantic Africa Start-up Forum: Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology for a New Economy, hosted by the Government of the Canary Islands, November 25, 2021 (Virtual)
✓ Sloan Entrepreneurs for International Development event invited guest speaker, November 23, 2021 (Cambridge, MA)
✓ Social Protection for Sustainable Development: Sida International Training Programme, panelist discussing How can change programmes make a difference in the lives of people in our countries? October 11, 2021 (Virtual)
✓ Designing Data for Women event organized by Unconform Studio, panelist, May 18, 2021 (Virtual)
✓ Disability Inclusive Social Protection Workshop Lecture for disability advocates at the International Disability Alliance, April 22, 2021 (Kampala, Uganda)
✓ International Women’s Day Alumna Panel for Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies speaker, March 8,2021 (Virtual)
✓ Public Budget Dialogue: Social Protection in the Third National Development Plan keynote panelist, hosted by the Economic Policy Research Centre, March 4, 2021 (Kampala, Uganda)
✓ Boston University Pardee School of Global Studies Alumni Career Panel presenter, February 9, 2021 (Virtual)
✓ Fail Forward: Building Foundations for Innovation, "Global e-Conference Turning the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity: What’s next for social protection?" discussant, October 7, 2020 (Virtual)
✓ High Level Regional Event: Blended Finance in LDCs Conference hosted by UNCDF, presentation on UNICEF's approach to innovative finance, June 18, 2019 (Kampala, Uganda)
✓ A New Age of Digital Activism (Novo Doba Digitalnog Aktivizma), webinar interview for an audience of young technologists in Serbia, June 4, 2019 (Virtual)
✓ How Do You Build A True Partnership With Government? Skoll World Forum 2019 Co-Impact Ecosystem Event, April 11, 2019 (Oxford, UK)
✓ How can Poverty Graduation Promote Women’s Economic Empowerment? Skoll World Forum 2019 Ecosystem Event, April 9, 2019 (Oxford, UK)
✓ World Summit Awards Global Congress presentation "Innovation Shots: Impact vs. Exit" March 11-13, 2019 (Cascais, Portugal)
✓ "Amplifying beneficiary impact and experience in the G2P digital transformation" invited to present at workshop organized by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank on designing to address needs in the context of social protection programs, February 18-19, 2019 (Dhaka, Bangladesh)
✓ Mercy Corps' AgriFin Accelerate Annual Learning Event, participation in event marketplace, January 29, 2019 (Nairobi, Kenya)
✓ "D3 Diagnostic Convening to Advance Women's Economic Empowerment and Financial Inclusion Through G2P" invited to speak at workshop organized by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, January 13-15, 2019 (London, UK)
✓ Third OECD/CVM Regional Seminar on Financial Education Trends in Latin America and the Caribbean, Presentation "Digitalization in Action: Opportunities and Challenges," November 12-13, 2018 (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
✓ SOCAP 2018, Invited to speak on a panel to launch the publication Scaling Pathways: Leveraging Government Partnerships for Scaled Impact, which I helped develop, October 23-26, 2018 (San Francisco, CA)
✓ Grand Challenges Annual Meeting, Invited to speak at multiple panel sessions to discuss the transition From Innovation to Scale, led by USAID, October 15-18, 2018 (Berlin, Germany)
✓ The Sacramento Seminar Invited to give keynote presentation "The complexity of poverty: Understanding the financial lives of the world's poorest families" at Political Lecture Series, July 27, 2018 (San Francisco, CA)
✓ Forum to Advance Women's Leadership in the International Development Sector, Invited Panelist at "Female Founders of Social Enterprises Set to Scale: What Support is Critical for Greater Impact and to Personally Thrive," June 6, 2018 (Washington, DC)
✓ Boston's Fvckup Nights, "Tales of Digital Disasters" public lecture at CIC Cambridge, April 25, 2018 (Cambridge, MA)
✓ W20 Financial Inclusion Technical Expert Focus Group and Dialogue, April 19, 2018 (Washington, DC)
✓ World Bank Group / IMF 2018 Spring Meetings, Moving from Evidence to Action: How Are CSO’s Working to Encourage Government Uptake of the Graduation Approach? presentation, April 19, 2018 (Washington, DC)
✓ Banco Central de Costa Rica, Financial inclusion training and presentation on innovation to bank leadership, October 30, 2017 (San Jose, Costa Rica)
✓ Global Innovation Week, Million Lives Club Member & Presenter during Prosperity Pitch and Innovator Panel, September 28-29, 2017 (Washington DC)
✓ Yale School of Management Social Impact Lab, Guest Lecturer, September 20, 2017 (New Haven, CT)
✓ EduFin Summit 2017: Financial Capability and Education, Presenter and Panelist, June 15-16, 2017 (Mexico City, Mexico)
✓ Inter-American Development Bank Virtual Seminar: Financial Education for Social Inclusion, Presenter, February 8, 2017 (Virtual)
✓ 6th Annual Mobiles for Education Alliance International Symposium: From Innovation to Impact, Presentation of research findings, October 18-20, 2016 (Washington, DC)
✓ What Works Global Summit: Putting Evidence to Work, Speaker and Panel Curator, September 26-28, 2016 (London, UK)
✓ Finclusión Digital, Public Policy Panel Moderator, July 14, 2016 (Bogota, Colombia)
✓ Women Deliver, Presenter at Appy Hour, May 17, 2016 (Copenhagen, Denmark)
✓ IDRC's Expanding Financial Inclusion to Enhance Livelihoods, Lecture, May 6, 2016 (Ottawa, Canada)
✓ Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Visa's 10th Annual Financial Literacy Summit, Panelist at The Future of Financial Education discussion, April 20, 2016 (Chicago, IL)
✓ Skoll World Forum Convening Panelist and presentation during "Strategic Use of Technology to Scale Social Impact: How Do You Make the Right Choice?" April 12-15, 2016, (Oxford, UK)
✓ United Nations Winter Youth Assembly presentation, February 17-18, 2016 (New York, NY)
✓ UNCDF and UN Women ThinkShop presentation "Financial Inclusion for Women's Economic Empowerment," February 5, 2016 (New York, NY)
✓ A Change in Behavior: Innovations in Financial Capability Event Panel presentation, November 4, 2015 (Washington, DC)
✓ Launching Your Globetrotting Career public lecture at Jobbatical.com event, October 27, 2015 (New York, NY)
✓ ANDE Annual Conference panel discussion "Crowdfunding for SGBs: Opportunities, Challenges and Solutions" presentation, alongside NESsT and Kiva, October 2, 2015 (Tarrytown, NY)
✓ Screening and discussion of the Skylight Pictures documentary film Disruption at the U.S. Department of Treasury, September 25, 2015 (Washington, DC)
✓ TEDxNiš presentation of Disruptive Ideas Can Change the World, May 23, 2015 (virtual showing in Niš, Serbia)
✓ eLearning Africa: 10th International Conference on ICT for Development, Education & Training at the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (May 21, 2015)
✓ Skoll World Forum and Sundance Institute screening of Disruption panel discussion in Oxford, UK (April 15, 2015)
✓ World Sustainable Development Teach In Day lecture on Sustainable Development, March 25, 2015 (Belgrade, Serbia)
✓ Social Impact Award 2015 Kick-Off Event, Public Lecture on Social Innovation, February 11, 2015 (Belgrade, Serbia)
✓ Sustainable Development and Natural Disasters in Southeastern Europe 2014 Conference presentation "Microfinance as a recovery tool for the poor following natural disasters, June 5, 2014 (Belgrade, Serbia)
✓ Faculty of Political Sciences Globalization and Social Policy Course Lecture, Poverty and Social Policy in Latin America and the Caribbean, May 17, 2014 (Belgrade, Serbia)
✓ SEE ICT's Startit Fest - Social Change Hackathon Keynote presentation during opening day, May 16, 2014 (Belgrade, Serbia)
✓ American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Moscow Invited to give a private presentation on "Youth Unemployment as a Cause of Global Poverty," March 28, 2014 (Moscow, Russia)
✓ Promotion of Financial Education Among Youth: International and Russian Experience Presentation of Latin American experiences, March 27, 2014 (Moscow, Russia)
✓ TEDxSemesterAtSea "Disruptive Ideas Can Change The World," January 9, 2014 (San Diego, California)
✓ Moving Financial Capability Forward: Innovation, Scale and Impact Speaker at event hosted by Citi Bank & The Financial Times, December 4-5, 2013 (Hong Kong SAR)
✓ WSA Global Congress Speaker and recipient of the World Summit Youth Award in the category Education for All, and also finalist for the European Youth Award, October 23-26, 2013 (Colombo, Sri Lanka)
✓ IV Congreso de Educación Financiera Speaker and recipient of the award for financial education materials for low-income people (Concurso interamericano de experiencias en materia de educación financiera - ganador en categoría "población de bajos recursos o no bancarizado"), October 10-11, 2013 (Bogota, Colombia)
✓ The App Date presentation of LISTA, October 1, 2013 (Bogota, Colombia)
✓ IX Proyecto Capital Workshop presentation, September 6, 2013 (Cusco, Peru)
✓ Innovations for Poverty Action conference Evidencia sobre Innovaciones en Capacidad Financiera presentation and participation in research matchmaking, May 29-30, 2013 (Lima, Peru)
✓ Lecture Series at the Faculty of Political Sciences: undergraduate lecture Sustainable Habits for Sustainable Development; graduate course Financial Inclusion for Poverty Alleviation March 27, 2013 (Belgrade Serbia)
✓ Leveraging Opportunities to Encourage Financial Inclusion presentation, June 21, 2012 (Johannesburg, South Africa)
✓ VII Proyecto Capital Workshop in Cusco, Peru (April 26, 2012) - speaker
✓ Instituto Cervantes Public lecture on Sustainable Development through the national Book Fair event, October 19, 2011 (Belgrade, Serbia)
✓ World Resources Forum Public lecture through the Youth Encounter on Sustainability, September 21, 2011, (Davos, Switzerland)
✓ Trening za karijering Presentation of Sustainable Habits for Sustainable Development initiative, May 22, 2011 (Belgrade, Serbia)
✓ Dan održivog razvoja Public lecture with policymakers to promote sustainable development in Serbia, May 10, 2011 (Belgrade, Serbia)
✓ Univerzitet i održivi razvoj Presentation of original research on sustainable development, April 21, 2011 (Belgrade, Serbia)
✓ International Sustainable Development Research Conference 2009 Invited to speak at Closing Plenary Reflections Panel and Debate, July 7, 2009 (Utrecht, Netherlands)
✓ International Sustainable Development Research Conference 2009 Presentation of "Poverty Alleviation in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Comparative Analysis of Microfinance and Conditional Cash Transfers," July 6, 2009 (Utrecht, Netherlands)

Conferences Attended

✓Design Research Society Conference: Resistance, Recovery, Reflection, Reimagination, June 23-28, 2024 (Boston, MA)
✓ We The Future Event, September 25, 2018 (New York, NY)
✓ MIT Solve Challenge Finals 2018, September 23, 2018 (New York, NY)
✓ Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship 2018, April 10-13, 2018 (Oxford, UK)
✓ We The Future, September 21, 2017 (New York, NY)
✓ TEDGlobal>NYC, September 20, 2017 (New York, NY)
✓ Social Good Summit, September 17, 2017 (New York, NY)
✓ Columbia's 6th Annual FinTech, DFS & Payments Summit, June 8-9, 2017 (New York, NY)
✓ Harvard Marshall Forum - 70th Anniversary Celebration, June 3, 2017 (Boston, MA)
✓ MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology's Being Material Symposium, April 21-22, 2017 (Boston, MA)
✓ Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship 2017 Apr. 4-7, 2017 (Oxford, UK)
✓ Social Enterprise Conference at Harvard University, March 25-26, 2017 (Boston, MA)
✓ 2016 Institute of International Finance Annual Membership Meeting, Participant in the IIF Financial Inclusion Roundtable: From Access to Use, October 6, 2016 (Washington, DC)
✓ Startup Bootcamp FinTech DemoDay, July 20, 2016 (New York, NY)
✓ Global Entrepreneurship Summit, June 24-26, 2016 (Palo Alto, CA)
✓ Aspen Network for Development Entrepreneur's Metrics from the Ground Up Conference, June 14-16, 2016 (Washington DC, USA)
✓ CGAP, Ford Foundation and MasterCard Foundation: Graduation Leadership Summit and Global Learning Event Dec. 7-9, 2015 (Washington DC, USA)
✓ Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship 2016 Apr. 12-15, 2016 (Oxford, UK)
✓ Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship 2015 Apr. 14-17, 2015 (Oxford, UK)
✓ OECD High-level conference on global and European trends in financial education 2014 (Istanbul, Turkey)
✓ Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship 2014 (Oxford, UK)
✓ ANSPE Foro Estrategias innovadoras para aliviar la pobreza - Muhammad Yunus 2013 (Bogotá, Colombia)
✓ V Fórum Banco Central sobre Inclusao Financiera 2013 (Fortaleza, Brasil)
✓ BID & Comfama II Foro Base Internacional por el desarrollo de los mercados de la base de la pirámide en América Latina y el Caribe 2013 (Medellin, Colombia)
✓ Foro Unidos por la por la Inversión Social 2013 (Bogotá, Colombia)
✓ Taller de Educación Financiera Proyecto Capital 2013 (Bogotá, Colombia)
✓ Inclusión Financiera de Receptores de Transferencias Monetarias Condicionadas 2012 (Santa Marta, Colombia)
✓ IDB & FOMIN 2012 Foromic (Barbados)
✓ Foro Unidos por la Innovación Financiera 2012 (Bogotá, Colombia)
✓ III Congreso de la Industria de las Microfinanzas 2012 (Medellin, Colombia)
✓ II Congreso Protección al Consumidor y Educación Financiera 2012 (Bogotá, Colombia)
✓ New Leaders Conference 2011 (Belgrade, Serbia)
✓ 3E - Energy, Economy and Ecology Conference 2011 (Belgrade, Serbia)
✓ Sustainable Reforms for Sustainable Development – Kopaonik Business Forum 2011 (Kopaonik, Serbia)
✓ Towards a Sustainable Dialogue for Improving the Application of Environmental Protection Policy 2010 (Belgrade, Serbia)
✓ International Sustainable Development Research Conference 2009 (Utrecht, Netherlands)
✓ MIT Global Poverty Initiative: Millennium Campus Conference 2008 (Boston, MA)
✓ Tufts EPIIC Symposium on Global Poverty and Inequality 2008 (Medford, MA)
✓ Public Relations Student Society of America’s National Conference 2004 (New York, NY)