Lilia Burunciuc is the World Bank’s Country Director for the Caribbean countries. Ms. Burunciuc, a Moldovan national, is responsible for maintaining the partnership with the countries to address their development challenges.  

Since joining the World Bank in 1996, she held a range of increasingly challenging positions: Director for Central Asia; Manager in Operations Policy and Country Services; Country Manager for Macedonia; Country Program Coordinator for Southern Africa and Central Asia; and Senior Country Officer for Ukraine and Belarus.    

Prior to joining the Bank, Ms. Burunciuc was a Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Moldova, the country’s central bank.  

 She has a Master’s degree in Public Administration from George Washington University (USA) and a Master’s level degree in Economics, Management and Planning from the Technical University of Moldova.  

An urban development planner and architect with over eight years of experience in housing and reconstruction, they have built an accomplished career developing and implementing international recovery and disaster risk management programmes, supported by a strong technical understanding of post-disaster and post-conflict responses. Their professional roles have required engagement across urban planning, housing, economic recovery, water and sanitation, and disaster risk reduction projects in Haiti, India, Turkey, and South Sudan.

Through these positions, they have supported the development of Disaster Recovery Frameworks; overseen complex post-disaster reconstruction projects; managed post-disaster recovery assessments; and coordinated recovery engagements in close collaboration with governments, civil society organisations, international agencies, and affected communities. They have also provided dedicated leadership and supervision to multidisciplinary teams, managed the dissemination of sector best practices, and supported the development of communication and stakeholder engagement strategies. 

Artessa Saldivar-Sali is a Senior Infrastructure Specialist in the Urban, Disaster Risk Management, and Land unit in Latin America and the Caribbean. She previously worked in East Asia & the Pacific, leading urban resilience and regeneration, disaster risk management, seismic risk reduction, and climate adaptation projects.

Prior to joining the World Bank in 2010, she was an adviser in the Office of the President of the Philippines, and was also an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of the Philippines. She holds Master’s degrees in Civil & Environmental Engineering, as well as Building Technology, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Caroline Mahfood has led the GraceKennedy Foundation since 2008, where she serves as Chief Executive Officer. Her philanthropic journey began with Building Bridges, The Florida-Jamaica Connection, a U.S.-Jamaica initiative under Ambassador Sue Cobb.

At GraceKennedy, she has championed environmental sustainability, securing over US $5.5 million in international grants for mangrove restoration, waste reduction, and marine conservation in Kingston Harbour. She currently collaborates with key partners—including The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch NGO, and Clean Harbours Jamaica—to implement The Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project. Through the Foundation, she brings together stakeholders from government, academia, and civil society to combat marine pollution in one of the Caribbean’s most vital ecosystems.

Caroline also strengthens philanthropy across Jamaica and the wider region. As Chair of the Jamaica Network of Corporate Foundations and co-founder of the Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance, she fosters collaboration among corporate donors and regional organizations to advance education, environmental stewardship, and community development.

She oversees the Foundation’s university scholarship programme and GK Campus Connect Food Bank, supporting students facing food insecurity. A member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps, she holds a BA (Hons) in History and English Literature from the University of the West Indies.

Elizabeth Riley is the first female Executive Director of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and was appointed to that position on July 1, 2021. She is a committed regionalist with over 22 years experience in the areas of disaster risk management at the regional and international levels and in environmental management. She is passionate about people and sees her role as one of creating spaces and facilitating connections to advance the resilience agenda. 

At the operational level, Ms Riley has played a leadership role in the coordination of regional responses to all major hazards impacting the region from Hurricane Ivan in 2004 to COVID-19. She has written, presented, and published technical papers in disaster management and environmental management. 

Ms Riley has also lectured in Disaster Management at the University of the West Indies, Mona and Cave Hill. She holds a M.A (Econ) in Environment and Development from University of Manchester, United Kingdom, BSc. (Hons) in Geography from the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica and a Masters Certificate in Results Based Monitoring and Evaluation and Information Systems from the University of Laval, Quebec.