Paula Ximena Quintana Meléndez (26 June 1956 – 6 January 2023) was a Chilean sociologist, academic, and politician. From 2012 to 2016 she served as a councilor for

Valparaíso Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...

commune. From 2008 to 2010 she was in the first government of President

Michelle Bachelet Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (; born 29 September 1951) is a Chilean politician who served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2018 to 2022. She previously served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and 2014 to 201 ...

Professional career

Paula Quintana was born in

on 26 June 1956. She studied sociology at the

University of Chile The University of Chile ( es, Universidad de Chile) is a public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.

in Santiago, and later earned a master's degree in management and public policy at the same university. In the private arena, she was director of the consulting firm Análisis, Planificación y Desarrollo, and worked as a research professional at the Casa de la Mujer of Valparaíso and the project Joven Valparaíso y

Viña del Mar Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located within the Valparaíso Region, and it is Chile's fourth largest city w ...

. Quintana was a professor of sociology in Valparaíso, and director of the Public Interest Affairs Program at the

University of Valparaíso The University of Valparaíso (UV) is a state public university in Chile, with its headquarters and the majority of its campuses in the city of Valparaíso. It has several other campuses in the Valparaiso Region of Chile ( Quinta Región) and in ...

Political career

Quintana was a member of the

Socialist Party of Chile The Socialist Party of Chile ( es, Partido Socialista de Chile, or PS) is a centre-left political party founded in 1933. Its historic leader was President of Chile Salvador Allende, who was deposed in a CIA-backed coup d'état by General Augusto ...

(PS). She served as deputy director of the

National Council of Culture and the Arts The National Council of Culture and the Arts (CNCA) was the Chilean government agency responsible for arts and cultural policy. The council was founded in 2003 and amalgamated arts and cultural policy under a single agency. It was a cabinet-level ...

, regional ministerial secretary (''Seremi'') of , and head of the Department of Regional Development of the Regional Government of Valparaíso. Quintana was appointed Minister of Planning of the first government of Michelle Bachelet on 8 January 2008, retiring with the end of the administration on 11 March 2010. In early 2012, she was defeated in a primary election to choose the

Concertación The Concertación, officially the Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia ( en, Coalition of Parties for Democracy), was a coalition of center-left political parties in Chile, founded in 1988. Presidential candidates under its banner won ...

's candidate for mayor of Valparaíso in that year's

municipal election In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

. She was later elected councilor for the commune for the term 2012–2016. In 2016, she announced that she would not seek another term as councilor, and in October of that year, she resigned her membership in the PS, and decided to support Movimiento Autonomista candidate

Jorge Sharp Jorge Esteban Sharp Fajardo (born 25 March 1985) is a Chilean lawyer and politician. He is the current Mayor of Valparaíso. Early life Born in Punta Arenas, Magallanes Region The Magallanes Region (), officially the Magallanes y la Antárt ...

for mayor of Valparaíso, who was eventually elected. The University of Valparaíso announced that Quintana died on 6 January 2023, at the age of 66.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Quintana, Paula 1956 births 2023 deaths Chilean sociologists Government ministers of Chile Socialist Party of Chile politicians University of Chile alumni Academic staff of the University of Valparaíso Women government ministers of Chile Chilean women sociologists People from Valparaíso 21st-century Chilean politicians 21st-century Chilean women politicians