I was born in Rio Cuarto, a mid-size town in Argentina. I grew up during a military dictatorship followed by a joyous – yet economically unsuccessful – return to democracy. After obtaining my bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Economics in Argentina, I came to the US to pursue my PhD. Although I thought I would be back in Argentina by age 30, God had other plans for me. During my PhD I met my husband, Jeff, and got married during graduate school. We have two daughters (11 and 14) and live in Washington, D.C.

I am a senior economist at The World Bank (academic profile here). More specifically, I work at the Office of the Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), which produces reports and research on topics of interest for the region. I did my PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated in 2002. My area of expertise is Economics of Education. I have done research on K-12 education in the US (private school vouchers, charter schools, and public school accountability) and on higher education in LAC. On the latter, I have led two studies – one on higher education in general, and another on short-cycle higher education programs (akin to associate’s degrees in the US).

I am a cradle Catholic. I attended an excellent K-12 Catholic school and participated in several youth groups back in Argentina, yet my faith really took off in the US during graduate school. I attended a marvelous Bible study where through daily prayer, frequent reception of the Sacraments, scripture reading, and fellowship I came to develop a personal relationship with Jesus. I can hardly imagine life without that relationship–the relationship that cements all other relationships. Over time I was fortunate to meet fellow Catholics, attend Spirit-filled churches, and have excellent spiritual directors.

My faith was fundamental to my becoming an economist. I grew up in a highly unequal country, and as a child I used to wonder why some kids were knocking on our door, begging for food, while I was able to go to school. I could also see many inefficiencies—getting a landline phone, for instance, took my family several years. I became an economist with the desire of contributing to a more equitable society and a more efficient economy.

Besides informing that initial choice, my faith also informs my current work. I seek to offer up my work and do it with integrity and virtue while also building friendships. I believe that, as public figures, we contribute to the knowledge and understanding of reality and have the obligation to disseminate it. Moreover, we have highly transferrable skills for use in Catholic projects. For example, I have been involved in the founding of a new high school in the Catholic tradition in Washington, D.C., contributing not only my expertise in education but also a pragmatic perspective on a broad range of issues.

As a mentor I would share what I have learned over the years, both professionally and personally. Because I started out as an academic and then moved to a more policy-oriented role, I have a useful perspective for mentees who might want to straddle both worlds. As a woman, I would share my experience as a female economist, wife, and mother. I would appreciate the uniqueness of each mentee, develop a friendship with them, and pray for them.

Contact: mferreyra@worldbank.org