Lucina Di Meco is a senior gender expert with more than 15 years of experience in the design, management and implementation of international development programs empowering women and girls worldwide. Lucina started her career at the United Nations Development Program in Mexico and has since worked in various capacities for a wide range of international nonprofits, including Vital Voices, the International Women’s Health Coalition and Women’s World Banking, as well as consulted for UN Women, UNIDO, International IDEA and the OECD, among others.

Lucina has a Master’s Degree in Development Economics from the University of East Anglia (UK) and a Diploma in Gender Studies from the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) in Mexico.

In December of 2016, Lucina has joined Room to Read as Global Director of Girls’ Education, where she leads a program helping thousands of girls in Asia and Africa stay in school longer and acquire the skills they need to make informed choices about their lives and realize their potential. Lucina has a life-time passion for women’s political participation and a history of political activism in Italy. In 2016, Lucina published the paper “Women’s Political Networks: Defining Leadership, Breaking Barriers, and Fostering Change”, comprising a toolkit and resource guide, is available on the 50×50 Movement website.