Gina María Parody d"Echeona is the current Minister of Education of Colombia.
Education
Born in Bogotá in 1973, Parody graduated as a lawyer from Pontifical Xavierian University and became a politician. Parody studied law at the Pontifical Xavierian University in Bogotá obtaining a specialization in conflict resolution. She also studied criminology at the Universidad de Salamanca in Spain and political theory at Columbia University in the United States.
Career
She has served as Director of the National Learning Service (SENA) and also in the Senate and the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia. Upon her return to Colombia, Parody worked as adviser to María Isabel Rueda between 1998 and 2000. She later joined the political campaign for the presidency of Álvaro Uribe in the presidential elections of 2002.
Uribe suggested her to run as an independent candidate for the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia in representation of Bogota for the legislative elections of 2002.
Representative 2002-2006
She was elected President of the First Commission of the Chamber of Representatives. Senator 2006-2009
In the legislative elections of 2006 Parody decided to join the Social National Unity Party and ran for a seat in the senate.
She was elected instead as President of the First Commission of the senate. In January 2009, Gina Parody announced that she was resigning her seat in the Colombian Congress.
Parody"s replacement is Marcos Cortéson
2011 Bogota"s Mayor Candidacy
In May 2011, Parody announced her candidacy for Mayor of Bogota. 2014 Ministry of Education
In August 20, 2014, Parody was appointed as the new Education Minister by President Juan Manuel Santos, replacing María Fernanda Campo Saavedra. The Secretary of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Cecilia Álvarez-Correa Glen recently made public their personal relationship.
Politics
In congress, Parody was notable for her defense of the politics of President Uribe. Parody was elected and attempted to nominated herself as candidate for President of the Congress of Colombia and senate, but her party selected Dilian Francisca Toro. Because she ran without the support of any political party, she collected signatures to run as a citizen movement affiliate She was defeated by Gustavo Petro.