
Dr. Laurene Chua-Garcia has over forty years of experience in academia while maintaining a corporate presence as Managing Director of Strategy and Innovation for Picasso Management Group Inc., a private equity firm that also engages in mergers and acquisitions. She works with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on initiatives related to internationalization, from the Philippines’ roadmap to authoring the internationalization guide. Currently, she serves as Technical Committee Expert for Transnational Higher Education at CHED. She also represented the Philippines on behalf of its Commission on Higher Education in various assignments with University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP International) and ASEAN International Mobility for Students (AIMS).
Dr. Laurene Chua-Garcia was the Vice President for External Relations and Internationalization at De La Salle University Manila and headed the Internationalization Committee in the Asia-Pacific Region for the International Association of Lasallian Universities (IALU). Dr. Chua-Garcia sits on the board of Ge4 and is Ex-Officio President of UMAP Philippines. She also reports to the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education (SEAMEO) on the Community of Practice (CoP) and advises various organizations in business, education and other fields both here and around the world.
Dr. Chua-Garcia obtained a PhD in Counseling Psychology Major in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. She brings a blend of experiences from both academe and industry to her work. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychologists and the Psychological Association of the Philippines.
Her recent activities included a speaking engagement at Campus Live SE Asia 2024 and serving as a judge at the 2024 QS Reimagine Education Awards. She also continues to speak with and train other institutions on internationalization at various engagements in the Philippines as well as overseas.