Chief of Staff

Carolina Vides de Palomo

Economic Development Strategist | International Affairs Advisor | Trade & Investment Expert

Carolina Vides de Palomo is a senior strategist with over two decades of experience driving economic development, trade promotion, and international cooperation across Latin America and the United States. Her career spans the public, private, and multilateral sectors—where she has consistently delivered results through complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives at the intersection of government, business, and global development.

Carolina served for eight years as Senior Development Program Specialist at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in El Salvador, where she oversaw a regional portfolio in economic growth, education, and environmental initiatives valued at over $385 million. She was instrumental in negotiating high-impact regional cooperation agreements with institutions including the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Secretariat for Central American Integration (SICA), helping to mobilize over $450 million in donor funding.

Earlier in her career, she served as Investment Manager at El Salvador’s National Export and Investment Promotion Agency, where she led the national investment strategy that attracted more than $120 million in foreign direct investment (FDI). She also chaired and actively contributed to high-level public-private committees focused on improving the business climate and accelerating national competitiveness.

Fluent in Spanish and English, and conversational in French, Carolina holds an MBA from INCAE Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business from ESEN. Throughout her career, she has been a trusted advisor to senior government officials, multilateral donors, and corporate leaders—known for her ability to build cross-sector coalitions, unlock catalytic funding, and drive inclusive economic transformation.