Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership
Female Ministers of the
Republic of Colombia/ La República de Columbia
(Female Suffrage 1954) Under Spanish Rule till 1819 when the Colombian
Republic was established, consisting of what is today Panama, Ecuador and
Venezuela, the latter became independent 1829-30. The Republic of New Grenada
was established 1821, renamed Colombia 1866. Panama became independent 1903
See
also Columbia Parliament
1954-55
Secretary of Social Assistance of
the Presidency María Eugenia Rojas Correa de Moreno-Díaz
1974 Presidential Candidate
Appointed by her father, the dictator General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla. She was MP
1962-64, senator 1966-74, and for 16 years member of the Municipal Council of
Bogotá. Rojas de Moreno-Díaz has been President of Alianza Nacional Popular (ANAPO)
since 1975 and has also been director of a number of private and public
institutions. (b. 1932-).
1956-57
Minister of Education Josefina Valencia de Hubach
Governor of the Province of Cauca 1954-56, Ambassador to UNESCO 1957-58, ca. 1960-74
Co-leader of Alianza Nazional Poulpular. She married the Chilean geologist
Enrique Hubach Eggers in 1943 and had two children. She lived (1913-91).
1961-62 Minister of Communication Esmeralda Arboleda Cavidad de Uribe
First female Senator in 1958, between 1967-69 Ambassador to Austria and Yugoslavia
and 1969 Alternate Permanent Representative to UN.
First married to Samuel Uribe
Hoyos and secondly to
Francesco
Cuevas Cancino, the Mexican UN Ambassador. (b. 1921-).
1965-66 and 1966-67 Acting Minister of Communication Nelly
Turbay de Muños
She was Secretary General of the Ministry.
1970-72 Vice-Minister of Education Irene Jara de Solorzano
1974-76
Minister of Labour and Social Security Dra. María Elena Jimenéz de Crovo
Deputy President of the Senate
1970-74, Ambassador to Mexico
1976-79?
.
1974-76 Vice-Minister
Communication Sara Ordóñez de Londoño
1976-77
Minister of Communication
1984-85 Minister of Education
Governor of Valle del Cauca 1982-84.
1977 Acting Minister of Mines and
Energy Ines Gonzalez de Amaya
She was Secretary General of the Ministry and acted from August till October
1978-82 Cabinet Member and Presidential Secretary
Diana Turbay Quintero
1978-82 Vice-Minister of Communciation Elizabeth de la Rosa
ca.
1978-85 Vice-Minister of Education Maria Eugenia Correa Olarte de Serrano
1982
Minister of Labour and Social Security Maria Estela Sanín de Aldana
1982-85
Vice-Minister of External Relations Laura Ochoa de Ardila
Ambassador to Germany before 1982 and to Guatemala after 1985.
1982-83
Vice-Minister of Development Amparo Lucía Vega Montoya
Governor in Fenalco Risaralda 1980-81
1982-84
Vice-Minister of Education Clara Victoria Colbert de Arboleda
1982-84
Vice-Minister of Housing and Public Works Maria Mercedes Cuéllar de Martinez
1984-85 Vice-Minister of Finance and Credit
Ca. 1985 Minister of Finance and Credit
1989-90 Minister of Economic Development
In 1988 she became Director of National Planning. And in 1999 she was candidate
in the liberal party’s primary in the Presidential elections.
1982-89
Vice-Minister of Mines and Energy Margarita Mana de Queveda
1989-90 Minister of Mines and Energy
Former Secretary of Education and Vice-President of the Council of Antioqia.
1982-85
Vice-Minister of Public Works and Transport Margarita Durán Ariza
1982-85
Vice-Minister of Agriculture Dra. Cecilia López de Montaño
1994-96 Minister of Environment
1996-97 Minister of Agriculture
1996 Delegate for Women’s Affairs
Also former Ambassador to the Netherlands, perhaps under the name of López de
Rodriguez.
1982-85
Vice-Minister of Health Beatriz de la Vega
1982
Vice-Minister of Health and Minister at the Ministry of Health
1989 Minister of Social Security
1996-98 Minister of Health Dra.
Maria
Teresa Forero de Saade
(b. 1939-).
1983-85
Minister of Communication Dra. Nohemi Sanín Posada de Rubio
1991-94 Minister of External Relations
1998 and 2002 Presidential Candidate
Ambassador to Venezuela 1990-91 and 1994-98 to United Kingdom, since 1998
Leader of Opción Vida (Third way) and came in a surprisingly third in the
Presidential elections.
1983-84
Vice-Minister of Housing Florangela Gomez Ordoñez
Between 1982-93 Economic Advisor of the President, 1988 President of
Banco Popular.
1985-86
Minister of Education Dra. Lillián Suárez Melo
1986-90 Minister of Education Dra. Marina Uribe de Eusse
1989
Minister of Justice Monica de Greiff
1989-90
Minister of Public Works and Transport Ing. Luz Pricilla Coeballos Ordóñez
1989-90
Minister of Economic Development Manualda Ramirez Carlos de Arturo
1989-91
Minister of Agriculture Maria del Rosario Sintes Ulloa
2000-02 Minister of Communication
1991-98
Vice-Minister of External Trade Martha Lucía Ramírez de Rincón
1998-2001 Minister of External Trade
2002-
Ambassador to France 2001-02.
1993-94
Minister of Education Maruja Pachón de Villamizar
Ca.
1993-96 Vice-Minister of External Relations Vilma Safra
1994-95
Minister of Labour Dra. Maria Sol Navia Vasco de Calderón
1995-96
Minister of Education María Emma Mejía Vélez de Caballero
1996-98 Minister of External Relations
Former Presidential Advisor, 1993-95 Ambassador to Spain, 1998 Vice-Presidential
Candidate. 2000 Candidate for Mayor of Bogotá and later Ambassador to a number
of UN Organisations.
Around
1995 Vice-Minister of Justice Mrs. Márquez Gallego
1996-97
Minister of Education Olga Duque de Ospina
Around
1996 Vice-Minister of Transport Maria Bernardoni de Govea
1997-98
Minister of Justice Almabeatriz Rengiso López
1998-2000
Minister of Communications Claudia De Francisco de Pardo
1998-99
Minister of Culture Elena Bravo
Until
1998 Vice-Minister of Education Carmen Espinosa de Díaz
1998 Vice-Minister of External
Relations
1998-2002
Vice-Minister of External Relations María Fernanda Campo Saavedra
1998-2002
Vice-Minister of External Relations Clemencia Forero Ucrós
1998-2002
Vice-Minister of Energy and Mines Maria Mercedes Prado Daza
1998-2002
Vice-Minister of Energy and Mines Luisa Fernanda Lafaurie Rivera
2002 Minister of Energy and Mines
1998-2000
Vice-Minister of Culture María Cristina Serje de la Ossa
1998-ca.
99 Presidential Councillor of Equality Nohra Puyana de Pastrana
She is married to President Pastrana.
1999-2000
Minister of Labour Gina Magnolia Riaño Barón
Ca.
1999-2000 Presidential Councellor of Women’s Equality Elsa GLadys Cifuentes A.
Governor of Risalralda since 2000.
1999-?
Vice-Minister of Tourism Maria Paulina Espinosa de López
Around
1999 Vice-Minister of Labour N.N.
2000
Minister of Health Inéz Gómez de Vargas
2000
Minister of Health Sara Ordóñez
2001-02 Minister of Health
2000-01
Minister of Culture Consuelo Araújo Noguera
A well known promoter of Columbian culture, she resigned when her husband was
appointed Attorney-General. In September 2001 she was kidnapped and killed by
leftwing guerrillas and killed when police tied to free her. Har niece,
María Consuelo Araújo Castro,
became Minister of Culture in 2002. She lived (1939-2001).
Until
2000 Vice-Minister of Planning and Development Marianela Fafuente
2000-02 Minister of Science and Technology
2000-02
Vice-Minister of Culture Katya Margarita Gonzáles Rosales
Ca.
2000-02 Vice-Minister of External Commerce Angela María Orozco
2000-02
Secretary in the Presidency for Juridical Affairs Patricia Murcia Páez
2001-02
Minister of Culture Aracely Morales López
Three times acting Governor of Cartagena.
2001-02
Minister of Communication Angela Montoya Holguin
2001-02
Vice-Minister of Culture Martha Mercedes Castrillón Simonds
2002-06
Minister of External Relations Carolina Barco Isackson
Until 2002 Director of Planning of the City Administration of Bogotá. Ambassador
to USA from 2006. She is
daughter of the late President Virgilio Barco Vargas. (b. 1951-).
2002-07 Minister of Communication Martha Elena Pinto de De Hart
2002-03
Minister of Environment,
Housing and Territorial Development Cecilia Rodríguez González-Rubio
Co-founder of the Green Party, the Partido Verde Oígeno, and senator in
succession to the Presidential candidate, Ingrid Betancourt, who was been
abducted and has disappeared.
2002-
Minister of Education Cecilia Maria Vélez
White
Until 2002 Secretary of Education in the Administration of Bogotá.
2002-06
Minister of Culture María Consuelo Araújo Castro
2006-07 Minister of External Relations
She worked in the Ministry of Agriculture and held other posts. She resigned
after her brother, Senator Alvaro Araujo was arrested on suspicion of ties with
paramilitaries involved in the country's drug trade. Her father was previously
Minister of Agriculture. (b. 1971-).
2002-03 Vice-Minister of Social Protection
2003 Acting Minister of Social Protection Luz Stella Argango de Buitrago
She was appointed after the Minister of resort, Juan Luis Londoño, was killed
in a plane crash.
2002-04 Vice-Minister of External Relations Clemencia Forero Ucros
2002-04
Vice-Minister of Justice María Margarita Zuleta
2002-04 Vice-Minister of Education Olga Lucía Turbay Marulanda
2002- Vice-Minister of Communications María Paula Duque Samper
2002-05 Vice-Minister of Culture Adriana Mejía Hernández
2002-04 Vice-Minister of Environment, Housing and Territorial Development Claudia Martinez Zuleta
2002-04 Vice-Minister of External Trade Claudia María Uribe Pineda
2003-04 Technical Vice-Minister of Finance and Public Credits Catalina Crane Arango
2003- Minister of Environment,
Housing and Territorial Development Sandra Suárez Pérez
Head of the High Council of
Plan Colombia 2002-03.
(b. 1970-).
2004- Vice-Minister of Education Juana Inés Díaz Tafur
2004- Vice-Minister of Finance and Public Credits Gloria Inés Cortés Arango
2004- Technical Vice-Minister of Finance and Public Credits Maria Inés Agudelo Valencia
2004- Vice-Minister of Labour Relations Luz Stella Arango de Buitrago
2005-06 Vice-Minister of Culture Elvira Cuervo
de Jaramillo
2006-07 Minister of Culture
2006- Minister of Communication Maria del Rosario Guerra de Mesa
2006- Private Secretary of the President Alicia Arango
2006- Vice-Minister of Culture María Cecilia
Donado García
2006- Director of National Planning Carolina Renteria
2007- Minister Councillor of the Presidency Cecilia Álvarez-Correa Glen
2007- Minister of Culture Paula Marcela Moreno Zapata
First female black Minister in history of Colombia.
Updates 13.10.07