Women's Leadership: Boost your skills and drive change

Caridad Araujo Ph.D.

Chief of the Gender and Diversity Division

Inter-American Development Bank

She leads efforts to improve access to quality services and economic opportunities, as well as strengthen the voice and representation of women, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, people with disabilities and the LGBTQ+ community. Previously, as lead economist in the Health and Social Protection Division of the IDB, she worked on child development and poverty reduction programs. She was a professor at Georgetown University and worked at the World Bank. She holds a Ph.D. and MA in Agricultural Economics and Natural Resources from the University of California, Berkeley in the United States and a BA in Economics from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.

Natalie Bethel

Operations Associate

Inter-American Development Bank

Natalie Bethel is an Operations Associate with the Inter-American Development Bank in Nassau, The Bahamas. In this role, she manages the day-to-day operations of the Bank’s public sector portfolio at various project cycle stages from design to evaluation, including investment loans, policy-based loans and technical cooperations.

She studied International Development & History at SOAS, University of London and has a Diploma in Strategic Public Procurement from the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Public Policy & Administration at Northwestern University.

Natalie has served as a Youth Advisor to the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations, and as a Youth Leader at the China-CELAC Forum. She is also a Global Shaper with the World Economic Forum and a UN Women Global Champion. Natalie was recently entered into the 2025/2026 Fellows Programme of the International Women’s Forum.

María Elena Carballo

Assistant Professor in the Master's Programs

INCAE

Prior to joining INCAE, she was Minister of Culture and Youth (2006-2010); deputy director of Arts and Letters in the same Ministry and director of the Colegio de Costa Rica. She was a Fulbright-LASPAU scholar for three years and obtained the Hirschfeld Fellowship at Brandeis University for two consecutive years. Her book "La Casa Paterna" (The Parental Home), which she co-authored, won the 1993 national essay prize in Costa Rica. She holds a Ph.D. in Literary Studies and M.A., both from Brandeis University in the United States, and a B.A. in Spanish Philology from the University of Costa Rica. Her doctoral thesis was on García Márquez's “The Autumn of the Patriarch,” and the Spanish-American novel of the dictatorship.

Patricia Cauqui

Academic Director of the Executive Coaching Certification Program at INCAE and Proyecto Promociona at ESADE

INCAE

Visiting Professor at INCAE in the areas of Leadership, Team Development, Coaching and High Impact Communication. She is the academic director of the Executive Coaching Certification Program at INCAE and the Promociona Project at ESADE, aimed at women on their way to Senior Management. She has 23 years of professional experience living in different countries and developing negotiation tasks at the highest political and business level. In Spain, she has held various management positions in media companies. In 2004 she founded her company, People Motion, Consultoría para la Adversidad, a firm specialized in executive coaching and focused on supporting women managers. She holds a Master Certified Coach, certified coach by Columbia University, a MBA by ESADE, a Master in Psychology of competitive sport by UNED, and a degree in Information Sciences by the Complutense University of Madrid.

Sherry Dixon

Director

Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Guyana

Sherry Dixon is an award-winning Guyanese Journalist, Lecturer and Keynote speaker. In addition to her role as a magazine editor-in-chief, she has written for many publications including The Guardian, Sunday Observer, The Times, Guyana Chronicle & Stabroek News, and has done numerous television and radio shows including Lorraine Kelly (LK Today), and BBC Worldwide, helping dispel the myths surrounding health and beauty for women of colour. In addition, Sherry has had radio shows, where she discussed current topics, particularly those relevant to the community, tackling hard issues often not discussed within the community such as rape, sexism, incest, and domestic violence.

In April 2016, Sherry was appointed as The Country Committee Chairperson for Motivation in the UK at ALL Ladies League (ALL), and in November 2019 she became one of the Directors of the newly formed Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Guyana.

Diane Edwards

Director of MSBM Consulting

University of the West Indies

Diane Edwards leads MSBM Consulting, the consulting arm of the Mona School of Business & Management (MSBM). Her focus is to grow the consultancy into an internationally recognised partner for business and government in management consulting and executive education.

Ms. Edwards previously served as President of JAMPRO, Jamaica’s investment and export promotion agency and as General Manager of J. Wray & Nephew UK Ltd.

Ms. Edwards holds an MBA from Pace University, a Masters in International Relations from Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris and a BA (Hons) in Foreign Languages from the University of the West Indies (UWI).

José María Gasalla Ph.D.

Visiting Professor

INCAE

Former Director of the Talent Management Program- ESADE Business School. Evaluator of the accreditation process for senior professional and executive coaches of AECOP (Spanish Coaching Association). Founder and partner-president of Grupo Desarrollo Organizacional and Talentum, where for more than 25 years he has worked in Change Processes and Management Development in public and private organizations such as: Banco Santander, Barclays, BBVA, Chamber of Commerce, Coca-Cola, Deloitte, Ford, Gillett, IBM, IKEA, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Pfeizer, Repsol, Telefónica and Zara, among many others. Author of several publications, such as: "La nueva dirección de personas" (People’s New Direction), "Marketing para la formación de directivos" (Marketing for Executive Transformation), "Asunto: confianza y compromiso" (Subject: Confidence and Compromise). He holds a Ph.D in Economics and Business Studies and Aeronautical Engineer from the Autonomous University of Madrid.

José Luis Lobera

Lead Communication Specialist

Inter-American Development Bank

Lead Communication Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), where he advises on issues related to the private sector and sustainability. His work in the IDB's Knowledge, Communication and Innovation department also includes regional communication in Latin America and event organization. In a personal capacity, he is the editor of the blog on the art of storytelling Storyplot (www.storyplot.net). He holds a Master's degree in International Relations and Communication and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Boston University in the United States.

Karel Mc Intosh

Director of Training

Livewired Group

Communication sensei—this is what Karel Mc Intosh is to her clients, as a certified executive coach and trainer. As the Director of Training at Livewired Group, a Trinidad-based communication training firm, she translates her 20 years of expertise into practical techniques—teaching high performers how to communicate strategically to optimise their influence and results. Her specialties include public speaking, emotional intelligence, business writing, and leadership presence.

Racquel Moses

CEO

Trinidad & Tobago Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator

Racquel draws on cross-industry experience that transcends borders, having supported a range of global corporate clients, governments and multilaterals. She has served private sector corporations such as Microsoft, Cable & Wireless, Fujitsu and JP Morgan Chase in implementing strategic initiatives, improving overall customer satisfaction, and successfully executing on projects that propelled strategic expansion and growth.

Racquel also served in the public sector as President of the Investment Promotion Agency of Trinidad & Tobago (InvesTT), designing new processes and systems, and implementing best practices that drastically improved inward investment flows and the creation of meaningful employment that is sustained today. Racquel led the agency to attain awards for world-class performance, formally acknowledged by UNCTAD, Site Selection and fDi Intelligence, achieving a 77% improvement in the agency’s score as assessed by the World Bank.

Valeria Pacheco

Senior Strategic Communications Specialist

Inter-American Development Bank

Senior Strategic Communications Specialist and "Client Relationship Leader" in the social sector of the Inter-American Development Bank. She has been published in various international media on gender, diversity and inclusion and collaborated in conducting interviews with important agents of change in Latin America using FB LIVE and coordinated the corporate campaign "100% Committed to Gender Equality", #EquidadTotal on behalf of the Bank. Certification in Strategic Management of Diversity and Inclusion in Organizations from Georgetown University in the United States, International Certification in Coaching from the MMK Institute; Master's Degree in Educational Television from the Complutense University of Madrid and Bachelor's Degree in Communication Sciences from the Tec de Monterrey in Mexico.

Rocio Pastor

ExEd Office Manager and Negotiation Professor

INCAE

She combines her 20+ years of professional experience in the areas of communication, human capital and change management to support companies and their leaders in building healthy cultures that drive business results. She is an enthusiastic strategic partner for organizations committed to unleashing the potential of their people, strengthening the quality of leadership and building high performance teams. Director and Founding Partner of Activa, a company that advises companies in the design and implementation of communication and corporate image strategies, organizational change management and programs for attracting, developing and retaining human capital. She combines her extensive experience with a strong academic preparation. She has complemented her studies in Communication with Master's Degrees in Project Management; in Marketing Management and in Business Management with a focus on Finance and Management Control.

Vivian Roza

Former consultant in the Gender and Diversity Division

Inter-American Development Bank

Former consultant in the Gender and Diversity Division of the Inter-American Development Bank, specialist in women's leadership and political participation, political parties and democratic governance, with more than 20 years of experience in the design, management, implementation and evaluation of institutional strengthening and social development programs with a gender perspective. She has led the PROLID women's leadership program and regional research projects, as well as training programs, impact evaluations and grant programs for public institutions and NGOs in Latin America and the Caribbean. She has been an international election observer and has several publications. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Georgetown University, an MA in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from New York University and a BA in Political Science and History from the University of Maryland College Park in the United States.

Denise Ann Salabie

Financial Management Lead Specialist

Inter-American Development Bank

Denise Salabie is a Financial Management Lead Specialist with more than 20 years of experience at the Inter-American Development Bank. She works in the Operations Financial Management and Procurement Services Office and supports the design and execution of operations financed by the Bank, by providing expert advice and service on financial management matters, as well as, support borrowing countries in strengthening their public financial management systems. Certified Public Accountant (AICPA), Masters of Science in Accounting (University of the West Indies) and Masters in Business Administration (Florida International University).

Victoria Simons

Chief of the Leadership and Employee Development Division

Inter-American Development Bank

In this role, she has developed an extensive academy of learning programs for Bank executives, supervisors and management staff, including the Bank's flagship program for Emerging Women Leaders. With more than 25 years of experience in human resource management, organizational development and leadership development in international organizations, government and the private sector, she has worked in a variety of organizations, including the World Bank, where she held several executive positions, and the U.S. Department of State where she led leadership programs for incoming staff. She holds a Master's in Education and Human Resource Management from George Washington University in the United States and a degree in Hotel and Tourism Management from the SENA Institute in Colombia. Certified Executive Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University and Systems Coaching from the Coaches Institute.

María Teresa Villanueva

Lead Specialist in the Gender and Diversity Division

Inter-American Development Bank

Lead Specialist in the Gender and Diversity Division of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) where she works on the development of public-private partnerships to promote gender equity at the regional level, promotion of public policies and programs for more effective participation of women in the workforce and in public and private leadership, including the PROLID Initiative. Previously, she developed and led the Gender and Women's Economic Empowerment initiative of the IDB's Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), among other initiatives with the private sector to generate employment and economic opportunities for the poor and vulnerable groups in the region. She holds a Master's degree in Development Management from the American University in the United States and a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Business Administration from the Francisco Marroquín University in Guatemala.