Shirley Jesaira Santana Herrera [she/her]

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | Political Education
Shirley Santana Herrera is an economist, communicator, and youth leader from La Romana, Dominican Republic, with a specialization in governance, sustainable development, and public policy. She holds a Master's degree in Governance, Development and Public Policy from the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, as a Chevening Awardee, with a background in education and project planning, with extensive experience in public affairs, gender equality, and social policy.

Her professional journey began in the Vice Presidency of the Dominican Republic, where she supported national monitoring systems and institutional planning. She later served as a Policy Analyst at the Ministry of Economy, leading inter-institutional strategies focused on childhood, disability, early education, and gender equity. Collaborating alongside 17+ public institutions to strengthen inclusive policy design, she has represented youth and women's interests in government, civil society, and international spaces.

In 2022, she was named as one of the top 25 Young Ibero-American Leaders by Fundación Carolina and Santander Bank, representing her country in Spain and Belgium. The same year she was selected as the first-ever Dominican delegate of Fora’s Global Summit, sharing extensive training in advocacy and gender equality activism alongside 30 delegates from around the world. In 2023 she was appointed as Secretary General of the International Model United Nations of the Ministry of Education (MINUME XV), overseeing the participation of over 800 students in discussions on diplomacy, science, and global development, focusing her leadership on the promotion of innovation, governance, and the future of STEM careers. She also served as a national consultant for UNFPA, coordinating youth networks and policy engagement in sexual and reproductive rights.

She is the founder of Excelsior Academy, an EdTech platform reaching over 3 million youth in Latin America to access quality education opportunities, and of Voces de la Tierra, a fellowship on climate governance and diplomacy across 13 Latin American countries.

This bio is updated as of May 2025.