Robert Taliercio O’Brien is the Division Director for Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone since January 2, 2024. He previously was the Regional Director in the Latin America and Caribbean Region for the Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions (EFI) Department.

In his 23 years at the World Bank, he has served as practice manager, lead economist, and country economist in multiple regions, including East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, and Africa. He has received service awards from the Ministers of Finance of the Republic of Korea and the Kingdom of Cambodia. Prior to joining the World Bank, Robert Taliercio was a Lecturer in Public Finance at the Harvard Institute for International Development and a Manager for HIID’s Program on Investment Appraisal and Management. He also served as a visiting professor at the Bolivian Catholic University. He has written on public finance policy and administration in academic journals, books, and development publications.

A US national, Robert Taliercio holds a PhD and a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University, a Masters in Latin American Studies from Stanford University, and a Bachelor in public and international affairs from Princeton University.