Patrizia joined the GEF's External Affairs team, on May 5 2008, as  Communications Officer mainly working on the GEF website and electronic as well as on the GEF Knowledge Management Initiative.

An Italian national, prior to the GEF she worked in Costa Rica as coordinator of the knowledge management and communication unit of the Regional Unit for Technical Assistance (RUTA), a multi-donor program that promote rural development in Central America.

She also worked in the World Bank's EXT Development Communication (DevComm) division, focusing on free trade and rural development issues in Central America.

Before leaving Italy, Patrizia was the portal manager of RaiUno (TV channel) and TG1 (TV News) at RAI, the Italian public broadcasting network.

Patrizia holds a MA in Global Marketing Communication and Advertisement from the Emerson College in Boston and an Advanced Degree in Modern History and Anthropology from "La Sapienza" University of Rome. She has also been awarded with several scholarships including Fulbright.