Latin American Leader Roberto Artavia Elected to WRI Board

The World Resources Institute (WRI) has elected Roberto Artavia to its board of directors. Artavia is a distinguished leader in business education, conservation of marine resources, and sustainable development in Latin America.

“We are honored to have Roberto as the newest member of our distinguished board of directors,” said WRI President Jonathan Lash. “His commitment to education and sustainable development, and his deep experience in Latin America, will be invaluable additions to our global efforts.”

Artavia officially joins the board today during its twice-annual meeting at WRI headquarters here in Washington D.C.

A doctoral graduate of Harvard University Graduate School of Business, Artavia most recently served as president of INCAE Business School. He was previously a director and then dean at that school, and continues to serve on its board.

He is the recipient of awards given to foreign citizens by the governments of Guatemala and Panama for his contributions to progress in competitiveness and sustainability.

In 1996, Artavia was the founding director of the Latin American Centre for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development, a think tank on topics including industrial competitiveness, sustainable development, and institutional innovation. In 2004, he co-founded the Central American Leadership Initiative.

Artavia is the president of Marviva de Costa Rica, a non-profit organization devoted to the protection and conservation of marine resources, and the Protector of Viva Trust, the largest philanthropic organization focused on the sustainable development of Latin America.

He currently serves as strategic advisor to the Panama Canal Authority, the Foundation for Economic and Social Development of Guatemala, and several other organizations in Latin America. Artavia is on the board of the Costa Rica Presidential Commission on Renewable Energy. He advises numerous governments, development banks, and academic and development organizations in the topics of his expertise.

Artavia joins a board that also includes Chairman James A. Harmon; Vice-Chair Harriett Babitt; Chairman Emeritus William D. Ruckelshaus; Gay Barclay; Frances G. Beinecke; Afsaneh Beschloss; Antony Burgmans; Fernando Henrique Cardoso; Jessica Catto; Leslie Dach; Jamshyd N. Godrej; Al Gore; Denis Hayes; Aditi Kapoor; Jonathan Lash; Gretchen Long; Preston R. Miller, Jr.; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; James W. Owens; Michael Polsky; C.K. Prahalad; Qian Yi; Theodore Roosevelt IV; Stephen M. Ross; Alison Sander; José Sarukhan; James Gustave Speth; Ralph Taylor; Lee M. Thomas; Todd S. Thomson; and Diana H. Wall.