Valerie Lorena  is the Executive Director of Young Americas Business Trust. She is responsible for design, implementation and expansion of youth entrepreneurship, leadership and innovation programs involving multiple sectors and international stakeholders. Before joining YABT in 2005, Valerie worked for the International Affairs Department of Universidad UCO in Queretaro, Mexico where she was in charge of students’ mobility and institutional agreements. She has served as a judge and mentor of global initiatives to promote entrepreneurship such as the UNESCO Youth Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition and Corporate Startup Weekends of the Inter-American Development Bank. Valerie has a background on international business and holds a Trilateral-MBA from the following universities Western Illinois University in the U.S., Université de Moncton in Canada and Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro in Mexico.