Paulina Garzón
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Paulina Garzón is Ecuadorian and has 25 years of experience working on issues related to international financing, the environment, and human rights. She is the former president of Acción Ecológica, and co-founder and former president of the Center for Economic and Social Rights in Ecuador. Paulina has worked as a consultant in several countries and was Director of Programs for Latin America at the Bank Information Center. In the past six years, Paulina has focused her work on Chinese investments in Latin America, with a particular focus on the Chinese regulatory framework for investments abroad. Paulina holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government (2009).
Email: paulinag@latsustentable.org
Marco Gandarillas
RESEARCHER
CHINESE PROJECTS
Marco Gandarillas holds a B.A. in Sociology from Universidad Mayor de San Simón where he studied a Master in Environment and Development from the Centro de Estudios Superiores Universitarios. He is currently a PhD student at CIDES Postgraduate in Development Sciences from the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés. The last years have been devoted to research on Bolivian extractivisms. He has participated in numerous works and directed projects of this type in Bolivia and other countries in the region. His last book is entitled “Rights and Violences in Extractivisms: Extrahections in Bolivia and Latin America”, co-authored with Eduardo Gudynas and Oscar Campanini (2020, La Libre, Bolivia). Between 2007 and 2017, he was Executive Director of the Bolivia Documentation and Information Center, one of the most recognized centers for research and defense of human and environmental rights in South America.
Email: marcog@latsustentable.org
DIANA CASTRO
RESEARCHER
CHINESE GUIDELINES AND POLICIES
Diana Castro is a doctoral researcher in Latin American Studies and holds a Master’s degree in International Development Cooperation at the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar (UASB-Ecuador). Since 2014, Diana has studied the Latin America-China relations, with a particular emphasis on Chinese financing mechanisms for development and infrastructure-investment projects. Her doctoral research traces the effects that these projects generate on institutional capacities of the state, the environment and local development, delving into the Ecuadorian case. Diana has published several articles on these topics. She has worked in various Ecuadorian universities and collaborated in international research initiatives on the relevance of China in Latin America.
Email: dianac@latsustentable.org
María Emilia Hermosa
RESEARCHER
CHINESE FINANCING
María Emilia Hermosa has a bachelor’s degree in international relations and political science from Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) and completed a year of study with the exchange program at Willamette University focusing on developing countries, economic development, environmental ethics, environmental policy, racism, migration and refugees. She participated in various projects sponsored by USFQ in coordination with public institutions on socio-environmental innovation and anthropology. She worked with the British-Ecuadorian Chamber of Commerce (CEB), provided logistics and administrative support for the CEB and for the Arbitration and Mediation International Center.
Email: emiliah@latsustentable.org
XAVIER GALLARDO
administrative coordinator
Xavier Gallardo studied Business Administration at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE), Accounting and Auditing at Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL), and Graphic Design and Advertising at the Instituto Superior Universitario de Artes Visuales de Quito. Xavier has 30 years of experience working in management, administration and consulting. For the past years he has developed well proved organizational and human resources management, leadership, communication, and service skills.
Email: xavierg@latsustentable.org
Edgar Alberto Zamora
Consultant
Edgar Alberto Zamora holds a B.A. in political science from Universidad Nacional de Colombia Bogotá, a Master’s degree in International Relations from UASB-Ecuador and a PhD in Public Policy from FLACSO-Ecuador. Edgar has worked for the most part in academic activities, leading teaching and research projects in Colombian and Ecuadorian universities. He has anchored his analysis in public policy with a particular focus on social policies, political economy of territorial development and internationalization processes.
Email: betoz@latsustentable.org
MARIBEL PADILLA
Consultant
Maribel Padilla holds a master’s degree in Management for Local Development from Universidad Salesiana and has more than 15 years of experience in supporting the monitoring of community projects, participatory diagnosis, baseline development, evaluation processes, systematization, and community communication. Maribel has worked with indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant communities, victims of gender-based violence, victims of human rights violations, and individuals in situations of human mobility. In recent years, Maribel has worked as an independent consultant for various civil society and governmental organizations in promoting gender equality, environmental preservation, land and human rights.
Email: maribelp@latsustentable.org
ELSA BEJARANO
Consultant
Elsa Bejarano holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Communication for Development from Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, and a postgraduate’s degree in Local Communication and Cultural Management from Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) – Argentina. In recent years, Elsa has worked as Political and Digital Communication strategist, as well as an independent consultant in the design and implementation of communication campaigns related to human rights and environment protection. She worked for several years as the Communication Coordinator at the Ecuadorian Alliance of Organizations for Human Rights.
Email: elsab@latsustentable.org
LAS accepts applications for internships throughout the year. The internships may be virtual or face-to-face depending on the activities and the availability of the intern, you can apply to our internships from anywhere in the world. Send us your resume (maximum 2 pages) and a motivation letter (maximum 1 page), detailing the dates on which you can do the internship and the number of hours available.
Send this information and/or your questions to info_LAS@iiscal.org