Business & Government

Texas A&M Grad Named One Of Central America’s Most Powerful Women

July 20, 2017

Forbes Magazine with Ilya Espino de Marotta on the cover
Texas A&M University at Galveston graduate Ilya Espino de Marotta has been recognized by Forbes Centroamérica as one of the most powerful women in Central America.
By Sam Peshek, Texas A&M University Marketing and Communications

The Texas A&M University at Galveston graduate who oversaw the $5.2 billion expansion of the Panama Canal is featured on the cover of a special edition of Forbes Centroamérica for being one of the most influential women in Central America.

Ilya Espino de Marotta, executive vice president of the Panama Canal Authority and a 1985 Marine Engineering Technology graduate, finds herself on the “50 Powerful Women of Central America 2017” list along with influential Central American entrepreneurs, politicians, athletes, scientists, activists and artists less than a year after completing the landmark Panama Canal expansion project.

Forbes stated each of the women on the list “paves the way for the next generation of disruptors. For them, society must go even further to establish gender equity in wages or to reach decision-making positions, and also at the family level, where women carry the most workload.”

Translated to English, de Marotta told Forbes that demonstrating confidence and “feeling good about yourself and with what has been achieved because not everyone has the same aspirations” helped pave her road to success and that preparation, dedication and attitude “are the three pillars to be considered and recognized in a position of hierarchy.”

de Marotta has been involved with every aspect of the canal expansion project since it began in 2007 and currently manages all other construction on the canal.

“Texas A&M at Galveston provided me a first-rate education, but what I took away was much more than engineering knowledge,” de Marotta told Texas A&M Today in 2016.  “What I really learned did not become apparent until years later. I realized I learned a mindset to think, to approach unconventional challenges with clear mindedness and confidence.”

https://today.tamu.edu/2016/07/29/galveston-grad-heads-completed-panama-canal-expansion-project/

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Media contact: Sam Peshek, 979-845-4680, sam.peshek@tamu

For more news about Texas A&M University, see https://today.tamu.edu/.

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