The only woman to have served as President and Vice President of the Government of Ecuador. She was also Vice Minister of Culture, Minister of Education and Secretary General of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization. 

She is a lawyer, has a PhD in Jurisprudence, a degree in Journalism and a Master's Degree in Anthropology. Until 2007 she was a member of the Editorial Board of the Encyclopedia Britannica, also director of the Regional Natural Foundation. From 2007 to 2012 she served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Centro Agronómico de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) in Costa Rica. She is President of the Advisory Board of the FIDAL Foundation and Executive President of the company A.S. Producciones. Since 2015 she is a member of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences.