Notable former directors

About > Notable former directors

César Vallejo Mejía

He was executive director of CRECE between 1995 and 2000, where he headed regional impact studies, such as the restructuring and development program for coffee regions for the Colombian Federation of Coffee Growers and the Competitiveness Program for the Department of Caldas. His work as a researcher has covered topics related to regional development, decentralization, and public policy. He is currently co-director of Banco de la República from 2009 to date.

Previously, he served as rector of the Autonomous University of Manizales, Mission Consultant for the World Bank (WB), at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), at the United Nations Organization (UN) in different Latin American countries, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Director of the National Planning Department (DNP), Vice Minister of Finance, Professor of Economics at the Universidad de Los Andes, Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano and Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá.

He has an Honorary Doctorate in Social Sciences, Childhood and Youth from the International Center for Education and Human Development (CINDE) and the University of Manizales, in the same way he carried out doctoral studies at Christian Albrecht Universität in Kiel, Germany, Master in economics from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá and has a degree in Philosophy and Letters from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá.

Carmenza Saldías Barreneche

Carmenza Saldías Barreneche

She was the founder and executive director of CRECE between 1989 and 1994, she is currently an advisor for the fiscal and planning modernization of the government of Cundinamarca and is linked to the Ibero-American Center for Strategic Urban Development (CIDEU), she has been the author of numerous urban and regional studies.

She has been mayor in charge, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Planning and Counselor for Regional and Competitiveness issues of the Mayor's Office of Bogotá, and Secretary of Planning of Manizales.

She has a Master's degree in Regional Development Planning and Administration from the Universidad de los Andes and an undergraduate degree in economics from the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University.

José Leibovich Goldenberg

José Leibovich Goldenberg

He was executive director of CRECE between 2007 and 2010 where he participated in economic studies for decision-making related to the production, marketing and export of Colombian coffee. He has experience in applied research on rural development problems. He is currently a consultant and director of economic research for the National Federation of Coffee Growers and a professor at the Universidad de los Andes.

He has served as deputy director
of the National Planning Department (DNP), Director of Economic Research of Banco República, director of the CEDE of the Universidad de los Andes, researcher of Fedesarrollo and coordinator of the technical team that prepared the Conpes de la Orinoquia and has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Mission for Field Transformation.

He has doctoral studies in Economic Development from the University of Paris I, also has a Master's degree in Economics from the Universidad de los Andes and an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National University of Colombia.

Mauricio Perfetti del Corral

Mauricio Perfetti del Corral

He was executive director of CRECE between 2000 and 2005, he is currently the director of the National Administrative Department of Statistics of Colombia (DANE), he is an economist whose career has been between socioeconomic research and the public sector.

In the areas of work in which he has worked, the following stand out: Sector Deputy Director of the National Planning Department (DNP); deputy minister of basic and secondary preschool education, of the Ministry of National Education, executive director of the Manuel Mejía Foundation, of the National Federation of Coffee Growers, government advisor on Coffee Affairs of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, presidential adviser for the Social Policy of the Presidency of the Republic.

He has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Sussex, a master's degree in economics from Los Andes University, a master's degree in Latin American public policy from Oxford, and an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Medellin.

Sergio Iván Prada Ríos

Sergio Iván Prada Ríos

Director of the Center for Studies in Social Protection and Health Economics PROESA of the Icesi University in Cali. He is a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Maryland, Economist from the Javeriana University, with master's degrees in Environmental Economics and Natural Resources (Universidad de los Andes), and in Public Administration (Syracuse University). He has worked in Colombia as a Researcher at Fedesarrollo, CEGA, consultant for the National Planning Department and the Ministry of Finance, and was Executive Director of CRECE in 2005-2006.

He interned at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and was a consultant to the World Bank. Prior to PROESA, he worked as a Research Associate for IMPAQ International, LLC in Washington, DC. Dr. Prada was a Fulbright scholar (2002-2003).

He has published more than 30 articles in national and international scientific journals and is co-author of the fifth edition of the book “Economic Measurement Techniques”. He is a columnist for the newspaper El MUNDO (Medellín) and a full-time professor in the Department of Economics at Universidad Icesi.