Professor Luisa Cifuentes Aguilar has worked in sustainable water resources management for more than fifteen years as Manager and Administrator of water projects and as Executive Director of the Authority for the Sustainable Management of the Lake Atitlán Basin and its Surroundings in the Government of Guatemala during the years of 2016 to the beginning of 2020. Under her leadership as Executive Director, the institution achieved important goals like the development of the Integrated Management Plan of the Lake Atitlán Basin, campaigns and actions to reduce use, recycle, and commercialize plastic products and other pollutants in the Lake Atitlán basin and the launch of a local tourism project called the Ecological Coffee Route, among others. Luisa serves in the School of Ecological Mission of the Missional University as an Instructor and as Associate Dean for the Hispanic World since 2020, positions in which she contributes with her academic knowledge and leadership experience in environmental sciences, limnology, sustainable water management, urban and rural drainage, aquaculture, solid waste management, and ecological sanitation. Luisa firmly believes that natural resources are a valuable creation of God for the benefit of humanity and is passionate about empowering others to use and harvest them wisely and sustainably to be conserved for future generations. She currently resides in Guatemala, however, her intercultural experiences date back to the 80s, since she has lived in Germany, the United States, Guatemala, and Sweden and also visited Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Peru for issues related to her career in sustainable water management issues.
