Mayra is an internationally recognized expert on gender and development and social development, is a Senior Fellow both at Data2X, United Nations Foundation, and the Center for Global Development. Previously, she was Director for Gender and Development at the World Bank. She also worked at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) where she headed the Social Development Division and was founding member and President of the International Center for Research on Women. She has a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.