Dr. Marleni Ramirez, a Peruvian national, became the Regional Director for The Americas Office of Bioversity International in late 2005. Since 1986, her professional experience has included work in various sectors of international development including capacity development and training, small enterprise development and implementation of agriculturally focused projects. She has worked with universities, the private sector, international organizations and the government. Dr. Ramirez was a Science and Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. State Department under the patronage of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. During the last decade, she has developed, administered and/or implemented projects in agriculture and conservation of biological diversity. Dr. Ramirez has also studied the use and management of native varieties of minor tubers by peasants in the Peruvian Andes, and has implemented an initiative for complementary conservation in northern Ecuador, with an innovative c