Mario E. Jaramillo has served as ambassador of Panama to the United States since February 2011.
Jaramillo attended college at Louisiana State University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in business management with emphasis in marketing. He earned a master’s degree in business management from INCAE Business School in Costa Rica, an academic institution founded by the Harvard Business School, U.S. Agency for International Development and the Central American private sector.
From 1993–1999, Jaramillo served as director for the national secretariat of science and technology.
Jaramillo has spent the bulk of his career in the private sector, where he was chairman of the Panamanian Association of Business Executives and vice chairman of the National Council of Private Enterprise. He also has been a member of the boards of directors of Panama’s Chamber of Commerce for the past 14 years; the Private Sector Council for Educational Assistance; and the Foundation for Sustainable Development, among others.
In July 2010, Jaramillo was chosen to become the executive secretary of the National Coalition for Development, a dialogue forum between the government, political parties and civil society sponsored by the United Nations Development Program to develop a national plan to strengthen democracy, combating poverty and inequalities. He held this position until his appointment as ambassador to the U.S.
He has represented the Panamanian government on the board of Union Fenosa, an international company that produces and distributes gas and electricity in Panama. At the time, Jaramillo was also a member of the board of directors of the Panamanian National Institute of Professional Formation, representing the private sector.
Jaramillo has been an active member of the Rotary Club, as well as the Association of the U.S. Army since 1986.
He and his wife, Elsa, have a son and a daughter.