President-elect Juan Manuel Santos named the president of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce, Maria Fernanda Campo, as the minister for education for his incoming government.
Speaking at a press conference in Santiago, Chile, Santos said that the appointment should come as no surprise as the new minister is someone Santos has worked closely with.
“I am happy and grateful to the president for allowing me to serve the country through the education portfolio,” Campo said.
Campo was the first woman president of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce and has an industrial engineering degree from the University of the Andes, as well as an MBA in finance.
The new education minister will join Defense Minister Maria Angela Holguin, Finance Minister Juan Carlos Echeverry, Transport Minister German Cardona, Agriculture Minister Juan Camilo Restrepo Salazar, Trade Minister Sergio Diaz Granados and Minister for Mining and Energy Carlos Rodado Noriega in the Santos cabinet.
Santos also appointed Cristina Plazas, who was prominent on the president-elect’s election campaign, as the new secretary for the Council of Ministers.
Catalina Crane was named High Councillor for Public Management, and will leave her post as president of Procafecol, which is the company responsible for managing the successful Juan Valdez coffee chain.