Mirei Endara de Heras from Panama, received a Masters in Environmental Studies degree from Yale School of the Environment (formerly Forestry & Environmental Studies) in 1994. She holds a B.A. degree from Wellesley College. She is currently addressing marine and coastal trash and water management issues, trying to get private sector and civil society’s proactive involvement.
Endara de Heras was the administrator of the Panama Environmental Authority (1994-1999), leading important institutional transformation in each term. The legislation passed at that time allowed for increased institutional capacity, authority and an integrated approach to the environment, and promoted a sustainable development agenda for the entire country. She served as Panama’s first Minister of Environment between 2014-2017.
As a board member of Fundación Smithsonian, she supports the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s work in Panama and Latin America. She is a Fellow of the inaugural class and the first Executive Director of Fundación Central America Leadership Initiative, which helped to create the Central American portion of Aspen Global Leadership Network in 2005. She has served on Asociación Nacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza, the oldest conservation organization in Panama amongst other non-profits.