Karla Gonzalez Carvajal

Karla Gonzalez Carvajal, a Costa Rican national, is currently the Transport and ICT Practice Manager for South Asia at the World Bank Group.

Ms. Gonzalez previously served at the Public Works and Transportation Ministry in Costa Rica, first as the Undersecretary (2002-2004) and later as the Secretary (2006-2009). During her tenure, she achieved a fourfold increase in the investment of public works, Including Public Private partnerships contracts for two International airports and one strategic road. She supported the transformation of the driver’s license system, the promotion of a new traffic law and the inclusion of road safety components in the design of road infrastructure. Ms Gonzalez has been also an entrepreneur during 15 years launching her own law firm in 1998 and co-founding in 2011 Vital Voices Costa Rica, a foundation for women empowerment.

Ms. Gonzalez is a specialist in the subject of negotiation and alternative dispute resolution. She brings extensive experience in Alternative Conflict Resolution Methods. She holds an MBA with an emphasis on Marketing from the National University in San Diego, CA as well as a Law degree from the University of Costa Rica. Additionally, she trained at the CMI Program at Harvard University as a mediator and negotiator, and is an active fellow at the Central America Leadership Initiative (CALI) under the Aspen Global Leadership Network.