Helena Iturribarria is an Environmental Biotechnology Engineer graduated from the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara and has a diploma in conservation, climate change, public administration and strategic planning. Helena has more than 20 years of professional experience influencing sustainable development, climate change, pollution control and natural resource management agendas. Her work with civil society organizations was mainly focused on biodiversity conservation and wildlife management.
She has dedicated more than 12 years to public service in the State of Oaxaca, where she has promoted and positioned a series of environmental public policies in the state agenda. As a public servant in the Government of Oaxaca, she served as Director of Natural Resources and General Director of the State Institute of Ecology of Oaxaca. She was also Director of Project Integration in the Coordination of Strategic Projects. She is currently the head of the Secretariat of Environment, Energy and Sustainable Development, where she has strengthened the issue of solid waste, and the Regional Ecological Management Program of the Sierra Sur Costa Territory. Helena has strengthened cooperation ties between Oaxaca and international organizations for the promotion of projects with an impact on the rural territory, particularly with the IUCN, UN Environment, and GIZ, among others.