Yessica Palacio

Program Manager for Latin America

Yessica as a Program Officer for the Economic Inclusion Project (EIP), a USAID-funded project managed by WOCCU, that aims to promote the socioeconomic integration of Venezuelan migrants and refugees, as well as vulnerable local populations in Peru and Ecuador.

She's previously worked in the U.S. nonprofit sector as a Bilingual Housing Case Manager in Washington State, and as a Program Associate for Freedom House, supporting programs to bolster democracy in Latin America.

Yessica grew up in Medellin, Colombia, where she completed a B.A. in International Business. After working in international trade for two years, she moved to Melbourne, Australia to pursue her master’s degree in international relations, focusing on Latin America, international migration, development and inequality.

While in Australia, she helped migrants navigate that country’s immigration system and obtain temporary and permanent visas, before moving to the United States in 2020.