Gioconda is a Programme Manager at WPL. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Notre Dame in the U.S. with a double major in Economics and Peace Studies. She pursued her Master of Arts in Conflict Studies and Human Rights at Universiteit Utrecht in the Netherlands.  She has worked for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in two field offices and one coordination hub. She is the co-author of three studies concerning the fulfilment of children’s rights and has produced more than 10 research studies for UNICEF, WHO, Plan International, among others.

From USAID to World Bank, Charlotte V. McClain-Nhlapo looks back at her work on disability-inclusive development & shares her advice to apply at World Bank

Yassamin Ansari talks to Isabela Barriga about being at the heart of the UN climate negotiations.

Nirupama Menon Rao is a retired Indian diplomat, Foreign Secretary, and Ambassador. She joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1973. During her four-decade-long diplomatic career, she was India’s first woman spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs, the first woman High Commissioner from her country to Sri Lanka, and the first Indian woman Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. She served as India’s Foreign Secretary from 2009-2011. In 2011, she was appointed India’s Ambassador to the United States and served a two year term.

Irish Diplomat Kate Oliver spoke to Women in Foreign Policy about her decision to join the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and working as a diplomat in Vienna. She is currently on posting to the Irish Embassy in Vienna, Austria.

British diplomat Victoria Grove speaks about changing her career path after an accident stopped her from joining the army and pivoting from Accenture to the FCO Fast Track Stream.

US diplomat Menaka Nayyartalks about her career at the State Department, the challenges of having a family when you often change job and her upcoming fellowship.

Bunmi Akinnusotu is a first-generation American who spent countless hours listening to her Nigerian relatives argue about world politics. The idea of a world outside of America has always been part of her consciousness and is the motivation behind her podcast. “What in the World (WITW)?” makes global issues understandable and relevant to ordinary American people. Explained by expert women and people of color, they break down current and past foreign policy issues by connecting it to everyday life.

Zarina Khan shares her journey as an advocacy professional and the path that led her to working at ActionAid UK.

Head of Policy and Advocacy at Women for Women International, Carron Mann, shares her experiences working in advocacy, the non-linear path that led her there, and her advice for young women hoping to work in the field.

As a regional security and governance coordinator at the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), Natasha Leite focuses on dialogue between host communities and displacement affected people or supporting their participation in peace building and decision-making processes.

Fidelis Muia, Director of Programs at RefuSHE, shares her advice for women with an accounting background who want to work in development and foreign policy.