Isabel Guerrero is driven to change the world in which she lives. Throughout her career, she’s helped those with the least break out of the cycle of poverty while celebrating the intrinsic beauty and dignity in each person. With this goal in mind, Isabel and Zachary Green co-founded IMAGO Global Grassroots, an organization focused on giving people living in poverty the tools to build their own destiny. Isabel worked for 30 years at the World Bank, including five years as Vice-President for the South Asia region, managing a US$39 billion portfolio.

While presenting a different set of challenges, Isabel’s work with IMAGO offers tremendous potential to change the world through tackling some of the most intractable development problems we face today.

In addition to her work with IMAGO, Isabel is on the board of the Presencing Institute at MIT and a Council Member of the United Nations University. She is an economist from London School of Economics and a psychoanalyst trained at the Washington Psychoanalytic Society. Isabel teaches “Scaling Up for Development Impact” at Harvard and is a Senior Lecturer in leadership at MIT.

Zachary has 30 years of experience working with grassroots organizations, helping them unleash possibilities and reach their deeper potential. He has a PhD in Clinical and Community Psychology from Boston University, and Med in Counseling from Cleveland University. He is an executive coach, Professor of Practice, and the Associate Director of the Leadership Institute at the University of San Diego.

In addition to his work with IMAGO, Michael is a senior lecturer at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and is a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, Delhi. He worked for 20 years at the World Bank, including as global Director for Poverty Reduction, Chief Economist for East Asia, and director of two World Development Reports.

Sandra has broad experience working in the public sector for over 10 years in Ecuador as acting Vice President, Minister of Planning and Development, Minister of Tourism, and Chief of Administration at the President’s Executive Office. She also has a rich international perspective through her experience working in Kenya and Indonesia. Her focus over the years has been on implementation, public sector efficiency, and public financial management. She holds a Bachelors degree in Economics and Finance with a minor in Mathematics from Universidad San Francisco de Quito and a Masters in Public Administration and International Development from Harvard University.

Johanan has comprehensive experience working in international development organizations managing research products and in-country operational engagements that promote institutional learning and boost development effectiveness. From 2016 to 2018, his work at the Office of Evaluation and Oversight of the Inter-American Development Bank allowed him to assess IDB Group’s strategies, programs, performance, and delivery support systems. For over two years at the World Bank he worked on building-up the economic analytics of the Disaster Risk Management and Urban team in Latin America. This has given him a clear picture of the landscape where international development institutions operate, the stakeholders they interact with and the resources they can bring to the table. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Economics with a minor in Political Science from the Instituto Technologico Autonomo de Mexico, and a Masters in Public Administration and International Development from Harvard University.

Greta holds a B.S. from Cornell University, and has studied social enterprise development in Uganda, India, and Brazil. She has a background on psychological intervention and public health, and has previously focused on the intersection of childhood trauma and poverty. She is passionate about the amplification of local efforts to build resilient communities.