May Bend is a Senior Consultant for Education in the Middle East and North Africa and Southeast Asia regions at the World Bank. Prior to these roles, she consulted in the World Bank’s Skills Global Solutions Group and Education Global Practice in East Asia and the Pacific. May joined the Bank in 2009, when she began working in Latin America and the Caribbean's Global Education Practice. May has co-led lending operations and analytical work in early childhood development and socio-emotional skills development, EdTech, teacher quality, and 21st century curriculum reform. Drawing on her broad-based expertise in education policy and human capital development, May has authored and co-authored several Education blogs and publications, including MENA's Flagship Report on Education. May holds a Masters in Economic and Political Development from Columbia University and a Bachelor's in Latin American History from Brown University.