David Fuentes, who served as Vice-Minister and then Minister of Finance during the administration of President Abel Pacheco (2002-2006), is now studying at YaleUniversity in New Haven, Connecticut, as one of the 2006 Yale World Fellows. He told The Tico Times last month in an e-mail he’s preparing to return to not only Costa Rica, but also to the Finance Ministry once the program ends in December; he will become Vice-Minister once again in the administration of President Oscar Arias.
Fuentes, 36, named as a Fellow in May, is one of 18 “emerging leaders” attending a four-month leadership course at the university, according to www.yale.edu. The group, which represents various countries and fields including government, business, religion, the military and the arts, among others, was chosen from a pool of 1,200 nominees from 136 countries.
Participants have an individualized academic program – Fuentes said he is focusing on economic development and poverty reduction – and participate in seminars, weekly dinners with guest speakers, and meetings with U.S. and foreign leaders.
The program, designed for leaders at “an early mid-career point,” covers all the Fellows’ expenses and provides them with a $30,000 living stipend.
University president Richard C. Levin said in a statement that the program is “a crucial component of Yale’s continuing globalization efforts” and said this year’s Fellows have “potential for future leadership on the global stage.”
