Leah Boersner

Senior professional with 20+ years of international experience across the private sector, government, and nonprofit organizations. Proven track record building and managing teams, launching operational programs from the ground up, and delivering measurable results in complex, fast-moving environments. Combine hands-on operational execution with high-level expertise in strategic communications / PR, multi-stakeholder partnerships, and public governance.

Career spans Latin America, the U.S., Middle East, and multilateral environments.

Cofounder – Vice President at ESPACIO CÍVICO FOUNDATION – FECC (2017-11 – 2026-03)

Functioned as the Executive Director, overseeing operations, programs, and strategy

• Managed the daily operations, staff, output, and performance across programs.
• Recruited and trained multidisciplinary teams of up to 20+ professionals including researchers, PR/communication specialists, platform developers and facilitators.
• Established internal accountability systems, and KPI's that enabled tracking of team output and programs performance, following international donors' standards.
• Oversaw financial management of program portfolios: budgeting, accounting supervision, vendor management, and compliance with donor policy requirements.
• Directed corporate event strategy, planning, logistics and budgets end-to-end.
• Designed and executed civic monitoring platforms following comprehensive market research and stakeholder mapping (2017 – 2018); launched the first platform (informed voting) in 2019, followed by several other programs, including a legislative observatory, civic academy, documentary production with successful engagement, and various civic tech initiatives (2020-2024).
• Designed and implemented capacity-building programs reaching over 7,000 participants through virtual or on-site workshops for government officials, civil society, and the private sector.
• Led large national NGO-driven electoral educational campaign, during 2024 Elections, coordinating 20+ partner organizations, on site campaign (vota bus) across 7 provinces and engaging over 350K voters online.
• Drove brand positioning and media strategy, +$3M earned media coverage in 4yrs.
• Built and maintained high-level relationships with government officials and diplomatic missions.
• Led negotiations with international donors for technical cooperation agreements.
• Led political analysis as a TV commentator, including national coverage of elections and State of the Union addresses.

Board Director / Consultant to NGOs at NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS (2016-08 – 2019-11)

Contributing to public governance initiatives to support Panama's Open Government National Action Plan; collaboration with OECD public governance forums; and leadership in advancing CoST initiative, including research and a Deloitte-co-produced scoping study, stakeholder engagement, and capacity building.

Latin America, Regional Open Economies Officer at BRITISH EMBASSY IN PANAMA (2013-07 – 2017-07)

Functioned as Senior Program / Policy Manager for a multi-country policy portfolio

• Led the UK government's regional agenda for embedding rules-based international economic principles in Latin America, managing programs across the region.
• Responsible for programs compliance and accountability against UK FCO policies.
• Built and maintained operational frameworks for cross-country program coordination, ensuring UK government funds were used effectively across markets.
• Led regional programs on public transparency, competition policy, anti-counterfeit, and anti-bribery in collaboration with the OECD, UK government agencies.
• Provided technical cooperation supporting Colombia and Costa Rica's OECD accession process, focusing on public governance and competition law.
• Represented the UK in high-level forums and diplomatic talks with senior government officials across the region and at the OECD.
• Strengthened competition authorities across Latin America through regional technical cooperation; project visibility valued at $1.6M in media impact.

Policy Program Consultant at BRITISH EMBASSY IN PANAMA (2016-07 – 2017-07)

Provided technical cooperation to the Government of Panama on transparency in public procurement and open government policy implementation.

Global Diversity, Program Manager at HEWLETT PACKARD (2011-03 – 2013-03)

Functioned as Program Manager for Global Diversity, Engagement & Inclusion — direct DEI/PMO experience at global scale.

• Owned end-to-end program management for 100+ annual diversity and inclusion projects across 30 countries, originated by local Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) spanning Multigenerational, Women, Pan-Asian American, Black/African American, LGBT, Veterans, and Hispanic American communities — with an annual budget exceeding $2M, tracked to within 2–3% quarterly accuracy.
• Grew global ERG participation by 4% (15,466 → 16,083 members) and expanded chapter footprint by 5% (125 → 131 chapters), launching new chapters across Malaysia, the Philippines, Bulgaria, and the U.S., and revitalizing dormant chapters in São Paulo, Zurich, and Geneva.
• Designed and delivered 'ERG Excellence' governance training to ERG leaders and councils across all regions, achieving 75%+ participation and a 4.2/5 satisfaction rating; embedded ERG content into global new-hire onboarding and leadership training programs.
• Managed key stakeholder relationships across Finance, business units, and external partners — integrating D&I priorities into Finance's Diversity Council, building relationships with external organizations (Out & Equal, NGLCC), and managing HP's participation in the HRC Corporate Equality Index survey.
• Co-designed a global cross-cultural competency curriculum in partnership with Learning & Development and Executive Leadership Development, establishing the framework and rollout plan for company-wide training.
• Served as the connective link between the Global Diversity Team and country-level ERGs, governing timelines, priorities, and reporting across a global portfolio while ensuring alignment between global vision and local execution.
• Advised on diversity policy for multicultural marketing campaigns in the U.S. and Europe and led global focus groups to design strategies that increased brand visibility in minority markets

Various roles at Saatchi & Saatchi, Deloitte, U.S. Consulate General in Dubai (2004-11 – 2011-02)

Covering project coordination, market research, administrative operations, and corporate communications across multicultural teams.

Organizing Committee at MOSAICO Annual Conference (Kol Shearith Israel) (2023 – Present)

A national dialogue platform on diversity and multiculturalism drawing 300+ attendees including government, diplomats, and business leaders; with annual live stream on TVN media; quoted in national press as a committee spokesperson

TV Host at Lejaim Panama (2025-04 – Present)

Interview segment

Board Member at Kol Shearith Israel, Sisterhood (2023-07 – 2025-07)

Board Member at Homeowners' Association (2024-09 – 2026)

Delegate at Balboa Academy Parents Association (2024-08 – 2025-08)

Master of Business Administration in Business Administration – Florida International University, Chapman Graduate School of Business (2013-12)

Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resources Management – Universidad Latina de Panamá (2004-11)