El Salvador
She’s No Longer a Former USAID FSN;
Please Refer to Her as Madam Vice President
Somewhere in the depths of Washington, DC in the 1980’s,
a USAID desk officer worked with a woman in El Salvador named
Ana Vilma Albanez de Guth. Little did he know at the time
that Ms. de Guth would later move onto a more expansive project
– serving as Vice President of El Salvador. 
A project manager for USAID in the 1980’s, Ana Vilma
de Escobar (The name change reflects her marriage in the interim.)
was elected earlier this year and now sits as the first female
Vice President of El Salvador.
Vice President de Escobar worked for USAID for nine years,
beginning in the 1980’s. She managed a $50 million project
that promoted non-traditional exports, encouraged foreign
investment and supported the development of small and medium
business as a tool for economic growth. The program supported
export-oriented industries and foreign investment in the country.
Vice President de Escobar played a critical role in USAID’s
support for the Salvadoran Foundation for Economic and Social
Development (FUSADES), a think tank whose policy recommendations
helped two successive governments design the country’s
successful economic reform program.
After her work at USAID, Vice President de Escobar worked
in the banking sector in El Salvador and was eventually named
to the Board of Directors for the Arena Party. She was later
asked to join former President Francisco Flores’ cabinet
as head of the country’s National Social Security Institute,
a department with over 11,000 employees and 200 service centers.
There she oversaw the modernization and expansion of the country's
retirement systems.
In 2003, then-Presidential candidate Tony Saca recruited
her to serve as his running mate, and with him turned out
a record 67 percent of El Salvadoran voters to earn a 22 percent
victory over the opposition party. She began her five-year
term as Vice President on June 1, 2004.
Meanwhile, Vice President de Escobar is not the only alumna
of USAID in the El Salvador government. She is joined by:
- Minister of Foreign Affairs Francicso Lainez worked with
the mission from 1989 to 1991. He managed several multi-million
projects that focused on economic growth, insurance and
trade credits to banks for importation of goods and services.
He left USAID to run his family business before being named
to the cabinet.
- Minister of Education Daryln Meza worked with USAID from
1991-93 on a project that focused on education curriculum
reform as well as on a peace scholarship program.
- Deputy Technical Secretariat Annabelle de Palomo worked
with the USAID economic growth office between 1993-96 on
privatization, pension and social policy issues. She then
left USAID to take a position at the previously mentioned
influential economic think tank FUSADES.
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