Maura K. Leary is Senior External Affairs Officer at the World Bank Group. From 2021-2025, she was ACET’s Director of Communications, in charge of ACET’s strategic positioning, coalition-building, policy and digital communications, and thought leadership activities. During her tenure she oversaw a transformation in the institution’s external positioning, reputation, and advocacy work.

Maura came to ACET after over a decade at the World Bank, where she developed impactful communications strategies that address risks and advance key policy positions, with a strong focus on thought leadership, economic progress, and stakeholder engagement. In 2020 she was Acting Manager for the World Bank’s Africa External Affairs team, responsible for implementing a dynamic communications and engagement strategy around the institution’s work in Sub-Saharan Africa and leading a team of professionals across the African continent and in Washington, DC.

Fluent in English and French, she holds a master’s degree in international Affairs from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, and a B.A. in French from Connecticut College.