This Thursday Catalina Crespo was officially sworn in as the new Ombudsman in Costa Rica, for a period of four years.
Crespo, 44, is a psychologist by profession. She graduated in 2000 from the Autonomous University of Monterrey in Costa Rica. Years later, and thanks to a Fulbright Scholarship, she obtained a Master’s Degree in International Education from Framingham State University and a little later graduated as a Doctor in Educational Sociology from the State University of New York.
She has been a school teacher, a university professor, and has worked for international organizations, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Some of the considerations to recommend three people for the position were experience in the public and private sector, management positions, personnel management, in addition to knowledge in human rights, formulation of programs and public policies.
Crespo was elected with the support of 33 votes. The ruling party fraction of the Citizen Action Party refused to give it its support. She has promised a more inclusive, more open advocacy.