Cara Santos Pianesi has helped organizations communicate to garner attention for critical international issues for more than 20 years, including currently at the World Bank Group where she is an External Affairs Lead responsible for stakeholder engagement to civil society organizations. Previously, Cara set up the United Nations Development Program’s communications shop in Washington, managed communications for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and helped Amnesty International establish stronger visibility in the United States. She moved to Washington from her hometown of Miami where she concentrated on private-sector communications vis-à-vis Latin America with Foote, Cone, and Belding. Her master’s degree is from Johns Hopkins University’s School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and she received her B.A. in international studies and economics from the University of Miami. She has previously served on the board of Edu-Futuro, an Arlington-based non-profit empowering immigrant youth through education, leadership development, and parent engagement.