Gem Lao-Araya is country director of ADB’s Kyrgyz Republic Resident Mission. She is the former country director for the Bhutan Resident Mission. Ms. Lao-Araya has more than 24 years of experience working in the Asia-Pacific development sector. Her 19 years in ADB have focused on specialized fields such as public financial management, public administration reforms, and private sector development. Ms. Lao-Araya holds Doctorate and Master's degrees in Economics from the Indiana University (Bloomington), USA and a Bachelor's degree in Economics (Honors) from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.