Uniting
Research and Policy

Camila Pérez, MPP'21, is a program manager at Chemonics International.

While at Harris Public Policy, Pérez worked as a research associate at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), where she also completed a research internship at USIP's Center for Conflict Transformation's Latin America Program.

Prior to her time at the University of Chicago, Pérez worked with the Electoral Observation Mission (MOE), a Colombian NGO that fosters citizens’ political and civil rights. Pérez managed the Political and Social Violence Observatory, analyzing how the presence of illegal armed groups and aggression towards political and social leaders affected democratic processes in Colombia. She also evaluated the institutional architecture and legal framework of the Peace Accords with the FARC guerrillas, to advise the Colombian government on the implementation of democratic initiatives in fragile regions. Previously, Pérez worked with Colombia's National Ministry of Education in Monteria, a Colombian city historically afflicted by disputes among legal and illegal armed actors. In this role, she coordinated a team tasked with improving English literacy in K-12 public schools in vulnerable communities. The importance of political leadership became even more apparent through her interactions with young grassroots champions working to rebuild social fabric through cultural programming and historical awareness in the region.

Pérez holds an undergraduate degree from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia in political science and a minor in journalism. During her studies, she worked as a research assistant analyzing the political reintegration of former M-19 guerilla combatants.