Valeria Merino has been leading social systemic change efforts for almost two decades. She has led the design and implementation of public policies at national and global levels in areas related to strengthening democracy, Rule of Law, transparency and civil society participation. Valeria is VP at Ashoka and the lead person responsible for several programs, including AshokaHub, an online-curated platform for Ashoka’s community of innovators and entrepreneurs working across the globe to resolve the most intractable social problems. Previously, Valeria headed Ashoka’s Venture and Fellowship program, where she was responsible for overseeing the selection process of Leading Social Entrepreneurs to the Ashoka fellowship. Before coming to Ashoka she worked for the Pan American Development Foundation as Senior Civil Society Adviser. Valeria was a member of Transparency International for almost 20 years and served on its International Board. She also founded and directed a number of citizen society organizations in her native country of Ecuador.
