Bio


Jessica Leino is the Executive Director of the Stanford King Center on Global Development. She served as the King Center’s Deputy Director from 2014 to 2019 and the center's Interim Director from 2019 to 2020. Prior to joining Stanford, Jessica was a Senior Economist at the World Bank, where her work focused on expanding coverage and improving the quality of social protection programs in South Asia. She joined the Bank in 2008 through the Young Professionals Program.

Jessica holds a BA in Economics from Harvard, an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge, and a PhD in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley. She has previously worked at the Brookings Institution and as a project evaluation consultant in East Africa. Her research has appeared in the Quarterly Journal of Economics and other academic and policy outlets.

Academic Appointments


  • Social Science Research Scholar, Policy Institutes

Administrative Appointments


  • Executive Director, Stanford King Center on Global Development (2020 - Present)
  • Interim Director, Stanford King Center on Global Development (2019 - 2020)
  • Deputy Director, Stanford King Center on Global Development (2014 - 2019)

Professional Education


  • PhD, UC Berkeley, Economics (2008)
  • MPhil, University of Cambridge, Development Studies (2001)
  • AB, Harvard University, Economics (2000)