Financing AI Infrastructure to Generate Value in Latin America

Marushka Chocobar is a senior international advisor specializing in artificial intelligence governance, digital government, digital public infrastructure (DPI), and public-sector digital transformation. She works for multilateral and international organizations, including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the World Bank, as well as with public and private organizations globally. Through GovStack and other international assignments, she advises governments on DPI governance, interoperability, digital identity, service design, implementation roadmaps, data governance, digital trust, and the responsible adoption of emerging technologies. She is also a Women in GovTech Ambassador.

From 2018 to 2023, Chocobar served as Peru’s Secretary of Digital Government and later Secretary of Government and Digital Transformation. From the center of government, she led the national digital transformation agenda and coordinated policy and implementation across the public sector at national, regional, and local levels. Her work included the National Digital Transformation Policy to 2030, the Digital Government Law, the National Digital Transformation System, the Digital Trust Framework, national interoperability and digital identity capabilities, and the policy agenda that led to Peru’s Artificial Intelligence Law. She also created the Niñas Digitales and Internet Segura programs, advancing digital inclusion and safer digital environments for children and adolescents. Her international work spans Latin America, Africa, and Europe and includes digital identity, financial inclusion, proactive public services, AI governance, and institutional digital transformation.

A central focus of Chocobar’s work is making technology safer, more accessible, and more useful for vulnerable and underserved populations. She promotes digital inclusion and works to protect children and older adults from digital risks and online harms, while advancing responsible technology, digital rights, and gender-responsive public policy. She is co-author of the World Bank publication “Strengthening Digital Identification for Greater Financial Inclusion in Peru,” and author of “Chi governa gli algoritmi? Potere, responsabilità e inclusione nella società dell’IA,” published in Rivista Corporate Governance, and “Política Nacional de Transformación Digital: aspectos centrales para la equidad digital,” published in IUS ET VERITAS.

She is an Industrial Engineer who has completed graduate studies in Systems Engineering and the executive program AI and Digital Transformation in Government at Oxford Saïd Business School, developed in collaboration with UNESCO. Apolitical named her among the World’s 100 Most Influential People in Digital Government in 2018 and 2019.

Cecilia Llamosas is a regulatory affairs and energy policy specialist working at the intersection of energy security, regulation, and digital infrastructure in Latin America. She currently sits on the executive committee of Penguin Infrastructure, Paraguay’s first large digital infrastructure operator, where she leads energy strategy, regulatory affairs, and strategic partnerships.

She co-founded and directs CRECE Paraguay, an energy policy think tank whose work has been commissioned by Itaipú, ANDE, the IDB, CAF, and the World Bank, and is an affiliated researcher at the National University of Asunción, where she led the Energy Policy Lab and was a lecturer and Energy Policy chair. Her research on transboundary hydropower and energy justice has appeared in Energy Policy, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Energy Strategy Reviews, and Energy for Sustainable Development.

Cecilia holds a Ph.D. in Science and Technology Policy from the University of Sussex and a law degree from the National University of Asunción. She served on Paraguay’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs advisory committee for the renegotiation of Annex C of the Itaipú Treaty and is a 2026 alumna of the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program in Energy Policy.

Robert Carlson is a J.D. candidate at Yale Law School, where he focuses on constitutional law and foreign relations. Prior to attending law school, he was a graduate fellow at McLarty Associates, a leading international advisory firm based in Washington, DC. He previously worked at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Organization of American States, the Albright Stonebridge Group, and Global Americans, where he served as editor and research associate.

Robert is a member of the NextGen Initiative of Foreign Policy for America and an alumni ambassador for the Duke Program in American Grand Strategy. He has published commentary in World Politics Review, The National Interest, The Diplomat, and the Inter-American Dialogue’s Latin America Advisor.

Robert holds an M.A. in International Relations and Economics from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. He graduated summa cum laude from Duke University, where he received a B.S. in Economics and a B.A. in Political Science. As an undergraduate, Robert studied abroad in Spain and Argentina. He speaks Spanish and Portuguese.

Gregory Ross is an international affairs professional specializing in Paraguay, the Southern Cone, and U.S.-Latin America relations. He is currently Senior Associate for Brazil & the Southern Cone at McLarty Associates, a leading international strategic advisory firm based in Washington, DC, where he supports clients on issues of investment, trade, and policy between the United States and South America.

Prior to his current work, Greg held roles with the World Bank, the Wilson Center’s Latin America Program, and organizations in Buenos Aires and Santiago. He has extensively researched Paraguay’s politics, economy, and regional integration, including publications and commentary in Americas Quarterly, ABC Color, BBC Mundo, Politico, and the Washington Post.

Greg holds an M.A. in Latin American Studies and International Economics from Johns Hopkins SAIS and a B.A. in History from the University of Chicago. He is a recipient of both Fulbright and Boren research fellowships to Paraguay, where, in addition to researching the country’s political economy, he studied Guaraní.

Chiara Perotti is an international development and public policy professional specializing in trade, investment, and economic development in Latin America. She is currently a Fellow at Global Americans and a Master of Public Policy candidate at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.

Chiara has held advisory roles within the Government of Ecuador, including at the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment, and Fisheries, where she supported policy design and implementation related to trade and investment strategies. She has also worked as a consultant and served as Chief Operating Officer of Nowhere Summit, leading operational strategy and cross-sector initiatives.

Her experience spans international organizations and data-driven project work, including a role with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), where she contributed to program implementation and analysis.
She holds a B.A. in International Affairs and Geography from The George Washington University, graduating cum laude, with additional training in business administration and GIS.

Chiara’s work focuses on fostering sustainable economic growth, strengthening institutions, and advancing development policy across the region.

Sonia Verdu is a strategic partnerships and rule of law expert with extensive experience across academia, international development, and nonprofit leadership. She currently serves as a Strategic Advisor at Global Americans and as an Evaluation and Learning Specialist at Florida International University, where she focuses on program monitoring and compliance with U.S. Department of Education Title VI guidelines.

Sonia previously served as Director of Programs at BeJust, where she led initiatives to strengthen justice systems, advance anti-corruption efforts, and promote human rights through cross-sector partnerships. Her work has consistently centered on institutional integrity and democratic governance, particularly in Latin America.

In addition to her policy and programmatic work, Sonia has over 13 years of academic experience as a law professor at Universidad del Istmo in Guatemala, where she teaches international law and advises students in legal research and moot court competitions.

Her career reflects a strong commitment to advancing the rule of law through strategic collaboration, education, and impactful program development across the Americas.