Giselly currently works as a Senior Advisor at Public Policy Lab in New York, where she serves as project lead, qualitative researcher, and designer of public services for underrepresented communities. She’s led The People Say and is currently leading the development of an AI-powered tool to make public benefits information more accessible.
Education
- 2021 – 2023, MFA Transdisciplinary Design Candidate, The New School – Parsons School of Design, New York, USA.
- 2014, Graphic Design Bachelor Degree, Institution Universitaria de Colombia, Bogota, Colombia.
Licenses & Certifications
- 2021, Certified Practitioner of Human-Centered Design, LUMA Institute.
- 2020, UX Strategist, Nielsen Norman Group.
Teaching
- 2023 (Spring), Graduate Teaching Assistant, Speculative and Discursive Design, The New School – Parsons School of Design, New York, USA.
- 2022 (Fall), Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, Navigating the Field, The New School – Parsons School of Design, New York, USA.
Writing
- 2025, What I Learned Listening to 140 Older Adults. Article.
- 2024, Mama Coca Chronicles: Navigating Ancestral Heritage and Future Narratives, Journal of Future Studies. Peer-reviewed article.
Talking
- 2025, Panelist at The International Forum of Children and Youth in The System in Monterrey, Mexico. Organized by HicMe. Presentation: From Paper to Practice: Methodologies for transforming ideas into public programs.
- 2025, Panelist and workshop facilitator of The People Say: Rethinking Public Services for an Aging Nation | Hands-on Session at the Oral History Annual Conference in Atlanta, GA.
- 2025, Interview by the The Better Care Playbook: Real Voices, Real Impact: “The People Say” Connects Older Adults’ Lived Experience to Policy Action.
- 2025, Panelist at the What if the coca plant could speak?, Meeting of Worlds: Interculturality and Shared Futures. Event with the Ministry of Culture of Colombia.
- 2024, Panelist at the Community-led consultation about the legal status of the coca leaf side event of the 67th session of the UN Convention for Narcotic Drugs (CDN).
Workshops
- 2025, River Is A Relative: Co-creating water rituals rooted in South America and South Asia. Hosted by the Futures Studies & Speculative Design CPE Program at Parsons School of Design – The New School. Online.
- 2023, Tomorrows: A workshop for collective imagining with organizations working on communitary economies. Hosted by the Brooklyn Museum, New York, USA.
Design Research, Public Policy & Strategic Communications
- 2024 – ongoing, Project Lead, Public Policy Lab, New York, USA.
- 2023, Design and Research Fellow, Public Policy Lab, New York, USA.
- 2022, Design and Research Fellow, The role of media on the narratives around Venezuelan migration, Zolberg Institute and International Rescue Committee, New York, USA.
- 2021, Design Strategist Fauna Flora Funga, Climate Litigation Accelerator – NYU School of Law, New York, USA.
- 2019 – 2021, Senior Design Consultant, Content Bloom, Halifax, Canada.
- 2017 – 2018, Design and strategy consultant, Cucuta: emergency exit and Environmental Participation, Dejusticia, Bogotá, Colombia.
- 2012 – 2016 Design Lead, National Center of Historical Memory – Government of Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.
Curatorial, Research & Art
- 2023 – ongoing, Co-funder of Liana Collective, where she leads research, project management, community engagement, and design for COCAWORLDS, New York, USA.
- 2024, Curator and producer of Coca-Palabra-Mundo at the UN Headquarters, New York, USA, and the Open Society Foundations.
- 2023, Curator and producer of COCAWOR(L)DS, an exhibition part of BotanicArte at the Taller Boricua, New York, USA.
- 2023, Artist in residence at Canal Projects, Las Yerbas Apothecary, New York, USA.
- 2023, Research Assistant, Tatiana Arocha, New York, USA.
- 2023, Artist, Sí a la vida, no a la mina, We Are Sudamerican Printers exhibition, June to July 2023 in Columbus, Boston, and New York.
- 2023, Artist, Intergenerational Living, Tomorrows. Alternative Imaginaries of 2053, Challenging Matter, The New School – Parsons School of Design, New York, USA.
- 2017, Artist, Oro Vital Cajamarca, Art Museum of Bogotá – MAMBO, Bogota, Colombia.
Civic Involvement & Volunteer
- 2020, UX/UI Designer & Strategist, Activamente, Mutante, Bogota, Colombia.
- 2017, Graphic and Web Designer, Foundation Adopta No Compres, Bogota, Colombia.
Illustration
- 2023, Winning illustrated poster of the Expanded Geography of Antioquia Contest: Sí a la vida, no a la mina, Medellín, Colombia.
- 2022, Illustrated songbook exploring climate-induced migration and its relationship with walking, species movement, and xenophobia. Especie en viaje/Species in travel, New York, USA.
- 2017, Illustrator for the campaign Self-regulation of the sugary drinks industry is just a story, Dejusticia, Bogota, Colombia.
- 2017, Illustrator for the GEF/SINAP project aiming to protect 550,000 hectares in Colombia, World Wildlife Fund – WWF, Bogota, Colombia.
- 2017, Illustrator for interior decoration, Sakia Restaurant, Bogotá, Colombia.
User Experience, User Interface, and Graphic Design
- 2022, Research Assistant, Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility, The New School, New York, USA.
- 2021, Design Strategist, The power of storytelling for the Flatbush African Burial Ground – FABG, FABG and The Parsons School of Design, New York, USA.
- 2020 – 2021, Design System Lead, Vision – Design System, Siemens Digital Software, USA.
- 2018, User Interface Designer, Relatos Anfibios, Dejusticia, Bogotá, Colombia.
- 2018, Visual Designer, East Coast Solar Inc, Halifax, Canada.
- 2018, User Experience and Interface Designer, Especimaderas, Bogota, Colombia.
- 2017, Design Lead, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Bogota, Colombia.
- 2017, User Experience and Interface Designer, Catatumbo, Memorias de vida y dignidad, National Center of Historical Memory, Bogota, Colombia.
- 2017, User Experience and Interface Designer, Altamira Supremo, Bogota, Colombia.
- 2016, Design Lead and co-founder, Salallena, Bogota, Colombia.
- 2016, User Experience and Interface Designer, Foundation for the Press Freedom – FLIP, Bogota, Colombia.
- 2011, Digital Graphic Designer, Arkix, Medellin, Colombia.
- 2009, 2010, Junior Graphic Designer, Grupo Mide, Medellin, Colombia.