Marcela Meléndez is one of Latin America’s most influential economists, currently serving as Executive Director of Fedesarrollo, Colombia’s premier economic and social policy think tank.
She brings a rare combination of global, academic, and policy experience. Prior to this role, she was Deputy Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean at the World Bank, where she advised governments and institutions on economic strategy and development challenges.
Previously, she served as Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), leading flagship regional research on inequality, growth, and structural transformation.
Marcela has also spent over a decade as Managing Partner of ECONESTUDIO, a leading economic consulting firm, and has been a professor at Universidad de los Andes. Her work focuses on applied microeconomics, public policy design, competition policy, and infrastructure regulation.
She holds a Ph.D. in Economics and a Master’s in Public and Private Management from Yale University, and an undergraduate degree in Economics from Universidad de los Andes.
