Dr. San Martin leads Plan International USA, an international humanitarian and development organization that partners with adolescent girls, children, and donors around the world to overcome oppression and gender inequality. She has more than 30 years of experience working as an executive in international development, focused especially on economic growth and political reform, including work in public and private sectors, bilateral and multilateral development agencies, and academia.
While at Plan, Dr. San Martin oversaw the U.S.’s involvement in the well-known Because I Am A Girl campaign which raised more than $15 million for girl’s education. In addition, she has been a vocal advocate of gender equality, and has been published in places such as the New York Times and the Washington Post, and spoken at numerous events. She is committed to leveling the playing field for girls.
Dr. San Martin has also overseen the inclusion of young people in Plan’s strategy and governance structures, including growing and strengthening Plan International USA’s youth advisory board, a yearly youth leadership academy, and a dedicated seat on the organizations board of directors. Under her leadership, Plan’s portfolio of U.S. government funded work has doubled in size and expanded to include grants from the Department of Labor, Department of State, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation. She has been a forceful advocate for aid effectiveness, serving as a co-chair of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN), and on the board of InterAction, The Spoon Foundation, and Friends of Publish What You Fund.
Prior to joining Plan International USA as CEO and President, Dr. San Martin served as Group Vice President for International at Abt Associates, a consulting company providing research and technical assistance expertise on a wide range of social and economic policy issues. While at Abt Associates, she helped triple the company’s international development portfolio in less than five years.
Dr. San Martin previously worked as the Director for the Operations Group of the World Bank’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). Before joining MIGA, she was a partner in IBM Consulting Services (formerly PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting Services); an adjunct professor at Florida International University in Miami; president of a consulting company in Washington, DC that specialized in strategic planning; and senior faculty advisor for a management institute in the Dominican Republic.
Dr. San Martin has a doctorate in political economy and government from Harvard University, a master’s in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, and a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and two daughters. She is on the road frequently, traveling between Plan’s offices in the U.S. and abroad. But, she always finds time to go running, and as time permits, enjoys tennis and baking (and eating) bread.