Maria Harker is a Government Innovation Fellow supporting the Children & Families team’s  work to address the needs of relative caregivers both within and outside the foster care system. Before joining GPL, Maria worked for the government of Colombia at the national and city level. Her experience includes serving as a child protection officer for the National Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF), where she oversaw cases on child maltreatment, and produced the governmental strategy to ensure the rights of migrant and refugee children. Most recently, Maria served as a project manager to the Secretary of Women Affairs of Bogota where she supported the design and implementation of the city’s Care System, a policy to recognize, redistribute, and reduce unpaid care work. 
Maria holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University, with an emphasis on social and economic development, and a law degree from Universidad de los Andes.