DRM Specialist / World Bank

Jared Mercadante is a Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Specialist, with master’s degrees in urban planning and architecture, and over 10 years of urban, housing and reconstruction experience. Jared is currently working as a DRM Specialist for the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Region of the World Bank, where he is co-leading multi-sector recovery and resilience investment operations in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and Saint Lucia. Prior to joining the LAC team, he was working at the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) from 2013-2021, where he was co-leading the Japan-WB DRM Program, technical lead for resilient infrastructure activities across the energy, transport, urban and water sectors, and Regional Focal Point for South Asia and the Middle East and North Africa regions. Jared has also provided extensive technical support to post-disaster recovery planning and ex-ante preparedness, including implementation and supervision support to Malawi flood and drought operations, development of three national Disaster Recovery Frameworks, and support to mainstream the integration of Contingent Emergency Response Components in World Bank Investment Project Financing. Prior to the World Bank, he also managed post-disaster housing reconstruction projects; overseen slum upgrading programs; and coordinated inclusive community-driven development in close collaboration with communities, governments, CSOs, and development partners. A United States national, Jared holds a Master’s in Urban Development Planning from University College of London, U.K., and a Master’s and Bachelors in Architecture from Wentworth Institute of Technology, USA.