Dr. Laurene Chua-Garcia is an academic and organizational leader with over 40 years of experience bridging higher education and industry. She holds a Phd in Counseling Psychology (major in Industrial/Organizational Psychology) from De La Salle University, Manila, where she served from 1981 to 2024 in roles including Vice President for External Relations and Internationalization while maintaining an active consultancy with industry partners.

She is Managing Director for Strategy & Innovation at Picasso Management Group Inc. and serves as Technical Committee Expert on Transnational Higher Education for the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED). A former President of UMAP Philippines, Dr. Chua-Garcia remains active working with SEAMEO RIHED, AUN as well as UMAP International. She has advanced internationalization initiatives regionally and continues to advise organizations in education and business worldwide.