Women in the Americas: Paths to Political Power

Billie Miller (Barbados, Barbados Labour Party, BLP) is senior minister and minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade of Barbados. She previously served as the country’s first female deputy prime minister and has been minister of health and national insurance, education and culture, international business, and tourism and international transport. 

Beatriz Paredes (Mexico, Partido Revolucionario Institucional, PRI) is president of the Institutional Revolutionary Party. She was recently a candidate for mayor of Mexico City, and she has served as the governor of Tlaxcala, national senator, member of Congress, and president of Parlamento Latinoamericano. 

Nemecia Achacollo Tola (Bolivia, Movimiento al Socialismo, MAS) is first vice president of the Bolivian Congress. An Aymara indigenous activist, she formerly served as the executive secretary of the National Federation of Peasant, Indigenous, Aboriginal Women in Bolivia, and served as an elected member of the municipal council of Santa Rosa for ten years.

Marta Lucía Ramírez (Colombia, Partido de la U) is a senator. Previously, she served as minister of defense and minister of foreign trade, and was Colombian ambassador to France. 

Dayana Martínez Burke (Honduras, Partido Liberal, PL) is a member of Congress and coordinator of the Committee of Inclusion for Mexico, Canada and Central America. She was the founding president of the Federation of Disability Organizations in Honduras.

Maria Antonieta Saa (Chile, Partido por la Democracia, PPD) has been a congresswoman for four consecutive terms. She has served as vice president of the Party for Democracy (PPD) and mayor of the Municipality of Conchalí. She was president of the Constitutional Commission for the Prosecution of Augusto Pinochet.

Olga Ferreira de López (Paraguay, Partido Patria Querida, PPQ) is a congresswoman and president of the Human Rights Commission. She also serves as counsel to Parlamento Mujer.

Epsy Campbell Barr (Costa Rica) is president of Citizen Action Party (PAC). She was formerly a congresswoman, a vice-presidential candidate, and founding director of the Center for Afro-Costa Rican Women.

Anel Townsend (Peru) is a former member of the Congress of Peru.

Judith Morrison (Inter-American Foundation) is regional director for South America and Caribbean of the Inter-American Foundation. She served as a senior associate at the Inter-American Dialogue and executive director of the Inter-Agency Consultation on Race in Latin America.

Joe Clark (Canada) is former prime minister of Canada. Elected eight times to the House of Commons, he was secretary of state for external affairs from 1984-1991 and also served as minister of constitutional affairs.