Gisella was born in Peru and migrated with her single mother to the U.S. at the age of 10. Armed with a passion for education, determination, diligence, and a strong work ethic, Gisella was able to excel in school and received the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship, a 4-year tuition scholarship to attend Providence College. Gisella furthered her education by completing a graduate Certificate in Advanced Management from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College in 2023. Gisella’s professional experience covers the areas of economic development, finance, accounting and taxation. Gisella is currently the Sr. Manager for Small Business and Corporate Financing at the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA), the planning and economic development agency for the City of Boston. At the BPDA, she co-manages the agency’s small business loan program, the Boston Local Development Corporation (BLDC). In her role, she has brought her expertise in small business underwriting, tax analysis, diversity and inclusion, and in order to serve the entrepreneur Latin community, created the very first BLDC website in Spanish. Gisella is the recipient of numerous honors including the 2021 Advancing Latina Leaders award by Amplify Latinx and the Boston Business Journal’s 2022 40 Under 40. Proud to be a small business champion, Gisella is committed to support and empower early-stage and existing entrepreneurs in the City of Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.