Ana Gabriela Valdiviezo Black
Digital Leader
Peru and Ecuador
Observatorio de la Transformación Digital EC
"If we empower girls, we build a better future for all women." That’s the motto that motivates me daily to create initiatives and spaces to democratize technology for girls from an early age and make more STEAM women visible to serve as an inspiration for others.
I’m an Electronics Engineer specializing in Networking and Data Communication, and I have a Master’s in Big Data and Business Intelligence.
I have 19 years of experience in creating, planning, and implementing public policies and national plans for democratization, inclusion, and innovation in technology, security, and national and international regulation of the Telecommunications and ICT sectors in Ecuador and Spain. In these spaces, I have promoted policies and programs to eradicate gaps in the tech industry, especially the gender gap.
I am the Founder and Director of the Observatory for the Digital Transformation of Ecuador (Observatorio para la Transformación Digital de Ecuador), where I promote the following programs and projects:
1. “Niñas y Mujeres TIC.ec,” which makes women in STEAM visible, promotes the inclusion of girls and young women in STEAM careers and democratizes technology for girls from an early age.
2. “Redes Comunitarias para la Educación,” which provides connectivity from donated and recycled equipment to children and young people in rural areas to promote their right to education and their digital inclusion. This project has connected 9 communities in rural areas, benefiting at least 80 girls from these communities. The project won the Information Society (WSIS) Prize 2021, organized by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
3. “DigitalMentes,” a digital program for the dissemination of science and technology, in which new technologies and their impact on society are discussed on digital platforms and face-to-face forums.
4. “Construyendo Sociedad Digital,” a space where civil society suggests public policy projects, the revision or creation of laws, and reforms to existing regulations that enable the digital transformation of Ecuador.
5. “Visibilizadas Ecuador,” a project where girls and boys break STEAM stereotypes at school.
I’ve created the National Forum of Girls and Women ICT (Foro Nacional de Niñas y Mujeres TIC) in Ecuador, a space for visualization and strengthening of identity, where girls and women who have ventured into STEAM careers share their experiences.
Through the democratization of technology for girls at an early age, I’ve built a team of girls who have ventured into robotics, artificial intelligence, and programming and serve as a reference for other girls and young women. Together we have motivated and increased the number of girls interested in STEAM from an early age.
Through multiple digital campaigns and forums, I have made many STEAM women visible, and their stories inspire girls and young women in my country. The constant work of visualization, dissemination, and empowerment together with other women scientists has allowed me to break stereotypes related to gender and science in girls and boys in school classrooms, thus eliminating structural gender barriers that persist in all areas of the STEAM ecosystem.
It makes me happy to share and disseminate the story of many STEAM women and make them visible. I feel completely fulfilled when those stories create empowered girls who build their future from a very young age based on science and technology.
My daughter Anne Sophie is my greatest inspiration and partner in this life project. She is a testimony to how important female role models are in nourishing empowered, innovative girls with a clear vision of the future.
I feel great satisfaction when I look back and review my professional and personal path. It has not been easy: I had to break several glass ceilings, overcome obstacles, reach roles designed to be occupied by men, and open doors reserved exclusively for them.
I served as Undersecretary of ICT and Postal Services (MINTEL), Deputy Minister of ICT (MINTEL), Coordinator of the National Telecommunications Council, and National Technical Coordinator of Control and Regulation (ARCOTEL).
I’ve represented my country on issues of broadband massification, eradication of technology gaps, and digital inclusion as a panelist, lecturer, and speaker at official meetings, forums, panels, and committees of various national and international organizations such as ITU, OAS, UN, the European Union, ECLAC, CAF, CAN, IDB, and LACNIC.
I work as an Advisor and Consultant at a national and international level regarding the eradication of technology-related gaps, digital transformation, digital inclusion, digital governance, transparency, and open data.
I’m a reviewer of scientific articles at Revista Latinoamericana de Economía y Sociedad Digital, a trainer for specialized courses at CEABAD, and a Member of UNESCO’s OWSD (Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World).
I was nominated and awarded the Woman of the Year in Science and Technology Prize by the Council of the American-Ecuadorian Chamber of Texas.
I’m an Electronics Engineer specializing in Networking and Data Communication, and I have a Master’s in Big Data and Business Intelligence.
I have 19 years of experience in creating, planning, and implementing public policies and national plans for democratization, inclusion, and innovation in technology, security, and national and international regulation of the Telecommunications and ICT sectors in Ecuador and Spain. In these spaces, I have promoted policies and programs to eradicate gaps in the tech industry, especially the gender gap.
I am the Founder and Director of the Observatory for the Digital Transformation of Ecuador (Observatorio para la Transformación Digital de Ecuador), where I promote the following programs and projects:
1. “Niñas y Mujeres TIC.ec,” which makes women in STEAM visible, promotes the inclusion of girls and young women in STEAM careers and democratizes technology for girls from an early age.
2. “Redes Comunitarias para la Educación,” which provides connectivity from donated and recycled equipment to children and young people in rural areas to promote their right to education and their digital inclusion. This project has connected 9 communities in rural areas, benefiting at least 80 girls from these communities. The project won the Information Society (WSIS) Prize 2021, organized by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
3. “DigitalMentes,” a digital program for the dissemination of science and technology, in which new technologies and their impact on society are discussed on digital platforms and face-to-face forums.
4. “Construyendo Sociedad Digital,” a space where civil society suggests public policy projects, the revision or creation of laws, and reforms to existing regulations that enable the digital transformation of Ecuador.
5. “Visibilizadas Ecuador,” a project where girls and boys break STEAM stereotypes at school.
I’ve created the National Forum of Girls and Women ICT (Foro Nacional de Niñas y Mujeres TIC) in Ecuador, a space for visualization and strengthening of identity, where girls and women who have ventured into STEAM careers share their experiences.
Through the democratization of technology for girls at an early age, I’ve built a team of girls who have ventured into robotics, artificial intelligence, and programming and serve as a reference for other girls and young women. Together we have motivated and increased the number of girls interested in STEAM from an early age.
Through multiple digital campaigns and forums, I have made many STEAM women visible, and their stories inspire girls and young women in my country. The constant work of visualization, dissemination, and empowerment together with other women scientists has allowed me to break stereotypes related to gender and science in girls and boys in school classrooms, thus eliminating structural gender barriers that persist in all areas of the STEAM ecosystem.
It makes me happy to share and disseminate the story of many STEAM women and make them visible. I feel completely fulfilled when those stories create empowered girls who build their future from a very young age based on science and technology.
My daughter Anne Sophie is my greatest inspiration and partner in this life project. She is a testimony to how important female role models are in nourishing empowered, innovative girls with a clear vision of the future.
I feel great satisfaction when I look back and review my professional and personal path. It has not been easy: I had to break several glass ceilings, overcome obstacles, reach roles designed to be occupied by men, and open doors reserved exclusively for them.
I served as Undersecretary of ICT and Postal Services (MINTEL), Deputy Minister of ICT (MINTEL), Coordinator of the National Telecommunications Council, and National Technical Coordinator of Control and Regulation (ARCOTEL).
I’ve represented my country on issues of broadband massification, eradication of technology gaps, and digital inclusion as a panelist, lecturer, and speaker at official meetings, forums, panels, and committees of various national and international organizations such as ITU, OAS, UN, the European Union, ECLAC, CAF, CAN, IDB, and LACNIC.
I work as an Advisor and Consultant at a national and international level regarding the eradication of technology-related gaps, digital transformation, digital inclusion, digital governance, transparency, and open data.
I’m a reviewer of scientific articles at Revista Latinoamericana de Economía y Sociedad Digital, a trainer for specialized courses at CEABAD, and a Member of UNESCO’s OWSD (Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World).
I was nominated and awarded the Woman of the Year in Science and Technology Prize by the Council of the American-Ecuadorian Chamber of Texas.