Spring Meetings

Jennifer Schonberger

Yahoo Finance

Jennifer Schonberger is a veteran financial journalist and broadcaster covering markets, the economy and investing. At Yahoo Finance she covers the Federal Reserve, cryptocurrencies, and the intersection of business and politics. Prior to Yahoo, Jennifer covered the Federal Reserve and the economy for the Fox Business Network. She also specialized in covering investing for Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and The Motley Fool.

Era Dabla-Norris

FAD Deputy Director, IMF

Era Dabla-Norris is Deputy Director in the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department, where she leads the work on the IMF flagship report, the Fiscal Monitor. Previously she was in the Asia Pacific Department as mission chief for Vietnam, where she also led the work on fiscal and climate issues in the region. Since joining the IMF, she has worked on a range of advanced, emerging market, and low-income countries and published widely on a variety of topics. She is the editor of the book Debt and Entanglements and is currently working on how fiscal policies can be used to broaden the gains from AI. Her research has also been profiled regularly in leading global newspapers and magazines such as The Economist, Financial Times, Bloomberg, BBC, Reuters, and CNN. She is a contributing member of the Global Futures Council of the World Economic Forum. Ms. Dabla-Norris holds a master’s and PhD in Economics from the University of Texas, and a master’s degree in economics from the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. 

Christine Qiang

Director of Digital Development, WB

Christine Zhenwei Qiang is the Director of the Digital Development Global Practice under the Infrastructure Practice Group of the World Bank. She heads a team supporting digital transformation in developing countries to drive shared prosperity and reduce poverty. Her team advises policymakers and regulators, works closely with private sector and development partners, and designs investment and technical assistance programs to improve digital connectivity and use of digital technology to address development challenges in client countries. The team collaborates with other Global Practices and across the World Bank Group to expand access to digital infrastructure, boost digital industry and capabilities, ensure the availability and use of digital platforms, and help build the foundations needed for digital economies to thrive. The team also works to strengthen cybersecurity and data protection and leverage the potential of digital technologies to enhance environmental sustainability.Christine joined the World Bank Group in 1998. Prior to her role as Director, she was the Practice Manager in the Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation (FCI) Global Practice for West and Central Africa, Practice Manager of the Global Investment Climate unit in FCI, and Practice Manager of the Global Investment and Competition Unit in the Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment (MTI) Global Practice. She was also Lead Economist at the Policy Division of the Global ICT Department of the World Bank Group. During her tenure, she edited the first two Global Information and Communications Reports (2006, 2009), and oversaw the publication of the first two Global Investment Competitiveness Reports (2017/18 and 2019/20). She has also published journal articles, book chapters and reports on broadband investment, private sector development, IT-enabled services, trade, foreign direct investment, competition, regulatory reforms, productivity and competitiveness.Christine holds a Ph.D. in economics and a Master’s in computer science and engineering from the Johns Hopkins University.

Michael Pisa

Google Global Economic Policy

Mike Pisa works on economic policy issues at Google, focusing on how governments can maximize the economic impact of AI and other digital technologies. Previously, he was a Fellow at the Center for Global Development, where his work examined the relationship between digitalization, governance, and economic growth. Earlier in his career, Mike worked at the US Treasury Department, where he served as a senior advisor to the Under Secretary of International Affairs and deputy director of the Office of International Finance. He has a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego. 

Crystal Rugege

Managing Director, Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Rwanda

Crystal Rugege is the Managing Director of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Rwanda (C4IR), where she is at the forefront of Rwanda's efforts to harness the potential of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies for the human-centered transformation of the economy and society. Under her leadership, C4IR Rwanda has driven the development of Rwanda's data protection and privacy law and its National AI Policy.

Crystal is deeply committed to Africa's inclusive digital transformation and has championed the creation of innovation ecosystems, including the establishment of Carnegie Mellon University's Africa campus, a pivotal institution in advancing world-class engineering education, research, and innovation in Africa. She spent her early career as a software engineer at IBM Silicon Valley Lab developing business intelligence solutions.

Crystal holds a Master in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School, a Master in Information Systems Management from Carnegie Mellon University, and a Bachelor of Computer Science from Grambling State University. Crystal serves on several fiduciary and advisory boards, including I&M Bank Rwanda PLC, Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropy, Carnegie Mellon University Africa, Expert Advisory Panel for the State of Science Report on Frontier AI Risks and Capabilities, and Network of Experts for United Nations Secretary General’s AI Advisory Body.