Monday, September 16, 2013

Is this just a boring introduction?

I really hope it's not. Yet it probably is.
Anyway, I wanted to introduce myself and give you some insights about me and my purpose here at Maxwell.

For those who want to practice some Spanish and what to learn a little more about my professional and academic background, here's my LinkedIn profile.


Mati and the hungry crocodile.
My name is Rodrigo Villaran (you can pronounce it the American way: /rəʊˈdrɪ.gəʊ/, or just call me Rozingo or Domingo as they like doing on Starbucks). I come from Lima, Peru. I am 32 years old and have a little kid, called Matías, who is 6. 
Lima is a city in the central coast of Peru, so we are crazy about sea food. Our main dish is the world famous ceviche (you may ask Anthony Bourdain if he liked it)

I studied Law (Universidad de Lima, 2005), and took some courses in Ethics and Political Philosophy (UARM, 2007) and Leadership (Georgetown University, 2009)

I worked for a law firm for more than 4 years, until I figured out I wanted to make a change in my career path. In 2008 I started working for several NGO's, particularly focusing on projects related to access to public information. One of the projects I am very proud of was to build an online database containing ATI Judgments. We managed to gather and systematize all the judgments made by the Peruvian Constitutional Court on this particular subject. I am happy with the outcomes of that project, but I think we could have made -and still can- a much greater impact with a more effective social media strategy.

In 2011 I started working at the Prime Minister's Office, in the design of the National Modernization Policy. This was my first experience in the public sector and one that encouraged me to enroll in the Executive Master of Public Administration at Maxwell School. The modernization of the Peruvian state is an on-going process, and while my experiences have provided me with a degree of knowledge and practical skills, I feel the need for formal instruction and an academic perspective in order to enhance my capacity to make a significant contribution to Peru as I continue to work toward a modernized state.

I really hope we can share some interesting experiences and learn from good (and bad) practices this semester. I am looking forward to get to know you better and learn from you.

Best of luck!

Rodrigo.








1 comment:

  1. No, it's not a boring introduction! Very good one - thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete