Women Hold Prominent Positions in the New Chapter

In September, the chapter officers met Susan Emert, director, individual membership and awards, Women in AFCEA, and Brenda Puch, corporate development coordinator for AFCEA, at the AFCEA International headquarters.

María Dolores Santos began the meeting discussing AFCEAN women in Ecuador, a presentation called "Heroines of the Southern Cone," in memory of the women and heroines of Ecuador´s history, such as the three Manuelas: Cañizares, Sáenz, Espejo.


The chapter´s organizational structure emphasizes the positions that women currently occupy: Santos, chapter president; Valentina Almedia, chapter secretary; Rosalía Arteaga, chapter vice president of foreign affairs; Carol Almeida, Young AFCEANs and social communication; Ingrid Marchán, social communication; and Capt. Diana Vallejos. The women in the chapter hold many responsibilities in various disciplines.

• Security and Defense: Grace Unda, Vallejos
• Geopolitics and Geostrategy: Unda
• Cybersecurity and Cyber defense: Carol Almeida
• Insular or Galapagos Regional Coordination: Unda
• Women in AFCEA Ecuador: Santos
• Women in government: Arteaga, Valentina Almeida
• Women in military: Carol Almeida, Vallejos
• Women in industry: Unda
• Women in Academia: Katalina Barreiro, Marchán

Additionally, nine new women have become chapter members: Mercy Denisse; Mayrita Valle, Salome Mantilla, Diana Sanabria, Estefania Corella, María Victoria Proaño and Jenny Bautista. The chapter also welcomes these women from outside Ecuador: Col. Lourdes Barriga, Peru, and Cynthia Marcial, Argentina.