Associate researcher at CIUP and professor in the Department of Economics at Universidad del Pacífico. She has a PhD and a Master's degree in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh (United States) and a Licenciatura (professional license) and Bachelor's degree in Economics, with honors, from Universidad del Pacífico. She has extensive experience in teaching, has held academic management positions and has produced various investigations on macroeconomics and social protection systems. In addition, she has provided advice and support to various national and international organizations related to the topics of her specialty. She has been nominated Joanne Toor Cummings'50 Chair Professor of Economics by Connecticut College and a Fulbright Scholar. Her publications include numerous books and articles in specialized magazines. Cruz Saco has been president of the New England Council on Latin American Studies (NECLAS) and Director of the SATA program at Connecticut College - Universidad del Pacífico. She has served as dean at Connecticut College and Wesleyan University (United States), and as COFIDE development manager. At the same time, she has carried out consultancies with the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Labor Organization, DESA-United Nations, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the Ministry of Education, among others.