Lerato Shai is an applied microeconomist and Director in the Project Management Office in the Presidency, a unit in the Private Office of the President. She is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) within and outside of government. Prior to joining the Presidency, Lerato independently supported the design and implementation of Phase 1 of the Presidential Employment Stimulus and co-led the overall implementation of the PYEI. Her background includes public sector consulting at Palmer Development Group and a research fellowship with the Economic Policy Research Institute where her experience spans municipal financial modelling and the evaluation of key government programmes. Lerato was also the co-lead in the design of Phase 4 of the Expanded Public Works Programme in the Social Sector. She holds a Master of Commerce specialising in Applied Economics from the University of Cape Town and is also a certified career coach.