Krista Baptista
Senior Director, Center for Digital Acceleration, DAI

Sessions: USAID Digital Strategy (Day 2 Afternoon)

Krista Baptista is the Senior Director of DAI’s Center for Digital Acceleration (CDA).  She is responsible for leading DAI’s digital integration strategy across the organization and managing and growing a portfolio of digital projects across verticals and clients including donors, private sector and foundations.  The CDA designs, manages, and delivers digital and mobile solutions, products, and services for DAI projects in emerging markets. Krista leads a team of digital and mobile experts who provide technical support and thought leadership around digital solutions. She provides advisory support to projects and corporate digital initiatives – including the USAID funded Digital Frontiers Project and the DFID (now FCDO) Digital Thought Leadership Project.   Krista works with projects on digital strategies related to areas such as cyber and trust, digital policies, agriculture, digital financial services, climate change, meaningful digital inclusion and access, and co-design practices for digital solutions.  She has served as a mentor and judge for innovation challenges and competitions.  She is an experienced speaker on topics including Women in Tech, Digital for Development, Big Data for Development, and the Future of Work. Krista is an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS) where she teaches Digital Development: Innovative Uses of Technology in Emerging Markets.  She holds a Masters in International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a Bachelors in Geography from Clark University.  

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