Jessica Gallegos is a Junior Professional Associate at the Social Development Unit Latin America and the Caribbean. In this capacity she has been involved the design and implementation of projects on the areas of Crime and Violence and Social Inclusion in Central America and the Caribbean. Jessica has also been very active in promoting the youth agenda at the Bank. She is one of the winners of the 2013 Youth Innovation Fund Competition as well as the 2013 and 2014 JPA Impact Grants. She joined the bank in 2011, and before that worked as a Research Analyst at the Embassy of Ecuador where she worked closely with the Ambassador and the political team reviewing cases and writing briefs for the Ambassador’s participation in the UN Committee Against Torture. Jessica is originally from Quito, Ecuador and graduated from American University with a B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in International Affairs and Comparative Politics.