Elena Bagnera grew up in Italy, then moved to the UK at age 17 for an educational scholarship. “The approaches to governing were so different in each country,” she says. “It sparked my curiosity about the different ways you could deliver public services.” After graduating from University College London, she went to work for Human Rights Watch, and then the Education Foundation where she pursued the question: What kinds of government programs really work? Today Bagnera is a senior associate for the international Centre for Public Impact, where she advises local governments in the U.K and Europe. What brings Bagnera to McCourt? “I’m drawn to the U.S. in general for its strong tradition of city leadership and the McCourt School in particular because it’s the best place to improve my technical skills, like evaluating data,” says Bagnera.
