Beatriz Velho

Beatriz Velho is a Policy Manager at J-PAL Global, where she manages the Gender sector and oversees the Gender and Economic Agency Initiative — a portfolio of more than 50 research projects focused on identifying and advancing innovations to strengthen women’s economic agency. In this role, she collaborates with governments, NGOs, and academic partners to translate rigorous evidence into policy and support the scale-up of effective programs. Earlier in her time at J-PAL, she was part of the Social Protection sector, where she helped establish and later managed the Social Protection Initiative.

Before J-PAL, Beatriz worked at the Climate Policy Initiative Brazil, contributing to evaluations of the country’s rural credit and insurance policies. She also co-founded Compras do Bem, a marketplace platform for social businesses, and advised firms seeking to use market-based approaches to drive impact.

Beatriz holds an MPA in International Development from the Harvard Kennedy School and a BA in Economics from PUC-Rio. At Harvard, she received the Jorge Paulo Lemann and Person of the Year Fellowships, as well as the Jane Mansbridge Research Award for her thesis on approaches to shift norms and reduce gender-based violence in Brazil.