Ala'a Kolkaila 

Ala'a Kolkaila (she/her) is a Service Innovation Fellow at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, where she works within the Office of the Mayor in San José to shape how artificial intelligence is applied across city operations and public services. A strategic advisor and economist with over a decade of experience, she has built a career at the intersection of public policy, digital transformation, and economic development. Ala'a earned her Master in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School in 2024 as a Mason Fellow, followed by an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management in 2025 as a Sloan Fellow. During that time, she also served as a Fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center, where she advanced research on emerging technology, and cryptocurrency , and as a Millennium Leadership Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Ala'a has played a pivotal role in shape long-term strategies for the Egyptian government and international organizations, leading initiatives that weave technology and innovation into economic and environmental frameworks. Her work has informed policy on financial inclusion, digital transformation and international development, strengthening international cooperation and advancing development agendas along the way. Fluent in English and Arabic, Ala'a's work epitomizes her unwavering commitment to integrating innovative solutions with policy development to tackle complex global challenges head-on.