Julie Lennox

Julie Lennox is the Chief of the Agriculture Unit and Focal Point of Climate Change in ECLAC’s subregional headquarters in Mexico. She coordinates “The Economics of Climate Change in Central America and the Dominican Republic” initiative which works with the fiscal, agriculture, health, environment, and energy sectors and institutions of SICA countries. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies from McGill University, Canada as well as two Master’s degrees: one in Food Systems, and another in Organizational Management, both with an ecological and solidarity focus from McGill and Royal Roads Universities, Canada, respectively. Before joining ECLAC, she worked in Central America since 1986 with farming communities in Honduras, indigenous communities in Panama, and working and street children and their communities in Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama. Additionally, she managed and evaluated health, education and human rights projects. She has worked for various United Nations system agencies, such as UNICEF and ECLAC, national NGOs, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), and the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights.    

Jose Manuel Iraheta

José Manuel Iraheta is an Economic Affairs Officer and coordinates the unit’s work on statistics and information systems (SIAGRO), agricultural insurance and integrated risk management, and collaborates on the fiscal policy and climate change agenda. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Universidad Centroamericana “José Simeón Cañas” in El Salvador, a graduate certificate in Regional Integration from Universidad Rafael Landívar in Guatemala, and a Master’s degree in Economics from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM). He served as a senior economist at the Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador from 1994 to 2000, as an economist for the Executive Secretariat of the Central American Monetary Council based in San Jose, Costa Rica from 2001 to 2013, and as a risk management consultant in international and multilateral agencies such as the Coordination Center for Natural Disaster Prevention in Central America (CEPREDENAC) and the Inter-American Development Bank (BID). He joined ECLAC in 2013.

Manuel Castillo

Manuel Castillo is an Economic Affairs Officer and currently works on regional projects and publications related to the impacts of climate change on renewable energy, public health, and food and nutritional security. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with two minors: one in Public Administration, and one in Public Policy from Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico. He holds a Legum Magister degree (LL.M. Eur. Int.) in European and International Law from University of Dresden, Germany. Additionally, he is a Doctor of Law (Dr. iur.) from Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. Prior to joining the United Nations in 2017, he worked in the international law field, as well as in the private sector in the renewable energy field. He has extensive work experience in cross-cultural education and communication, as well as in defending gender equality and fighting discrimination.

Lauren Juskelis

Lauren Juskelis is an Economic Affairs Officer in the Agriculture and Climate Change Unit in ECLAC’s subregional headquarters in Mexico. Currently, she works on the statistics and information system (SIAGRO) team with data related to activities in agriculture, rural development, food and nutritional security, and climate change. In addition, she works in strengthening communication capacities within the unit. She received her bachelor’s degree in economics from Colorado College, USA, and worked in the public sector in areas related to poverty and social development before joining the United Nations in 2017.

Diana Ramirez

Diana Ramirez is a Research Assistant specializing in economic and econometric analyses in areas related to the impacts of climate change and response options, food and nutritional security, and the agricultural sector, especially basic grains and coffee. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Mexico. Furthermore, she holds a Master’s in Economics from El Colegio de México, and a second Master’s in Environment and Development from London School of Economics (LSE), United Kingdom. Prior to joining the United Nations, she worked in the financial sector.   

Jaime Olivares

Jaime Olivares is a Research Assistant specializing in economic and econometric analysis in areas related to climate change and its impact on agriculture, water resources, poverty, environment, and sustainable and inclusive adaptation, including the reduction of greenhouse gases. He has participated in “The Economics of Climate Change in Central America and the Dominican Republic” initiative since its beginning. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Economics at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), and his Master’s in Economics at El Colegio de México. He participated in the UNAM-led analysis “The Economics of Climate Change in Mexico” commissioned by the Ministry of Finance of Mexico. He has also worked as a research assistant in environment, agriculture, energy, commerce, and international finances, as well as an assistant professor in statistics, econometrics, microeconomics, and water economics at UNAM. Since 2009, he has worked for ECLAC’s regional subheadquarters in Mexico in the Economic Development Unit and in the Agricultural and Climate Change Unit.