Josefa González Blanco Ortiz Mena (born 9 March 1965) is a Mexican ecologist, politician and diplomat from the

National Regeneration Movement The National Regeneration Movement (), commonly referred to by its syllabic abbreviation Morena (), is a major left-wing political party in Mexico, often described as oscillating between social democracy and populism. As of 2023, it is the la ...

who was the Secretary of Environment from 2018 to 2019. She has served as the Mexican ambassador to the United Kingdom since 23 April 2021. On 9 June 2021, she presented her credentials to

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

accrediting her as Mexico's representative to the United Kingdom.

Early life and education

Josefa González Blanco was born in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

in 1963 to

Patrocinio González Garrido José Patrocinio González Blanco Garrido (18 May 1934 – 30 November 2021) was a Mexican politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He served in both houses of Congress, as governor of Chiapas and as secretary of t ...

and Patricia Ortiz Mena Salinas. She attended Anáhuac University where she studied Law and graduated with a degree in law in 1989. In 2014, she graduated from the

John F. Kennedy University John F. Kennedy University was a private university based in California with offices in San Jose, California. The university was founded in 1965 to offer degrees and certificates for non-traditional higher education students, taught mostly by adj ...

with a Master's in Transformative Art.

Career

She was

secretary of environment and natural resources The secretary of environment and natural resources (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Kalihim ng Kapaligiran at Likas na Yaman'') is the head of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines. Functions The following are ...

in the

federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

between 2018 and 2019, leading the national policy on natural resources and environmental regulation. She was administrative secretary of the Postgraduate Program of the Faculty of Law of the

National Autonomous University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...

and promoter of various social, cultural and environmental programs and projects.

Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources

From 2017 to 2018, she was coordinator of the strategic agenda of

Morena Morena or MORENA may refer to: Places * Morena, Madhya Pradesh, a town in central India * Morena (Lok Sabha constituency), Madhya Pradesh * Morena (Vidhan Sabha constituency), Madhya Pradesh * Morena, San Diego, California, a neighborhood * Mo ...

. In 2018, she assumed the title of the Secretariat as the first secretary of the environment and natural resources of the López Obrador administration, becoming the second woman to hold the position in the history of the federal agency. On 25 May 2019, she resigned from her office as environment secretary after causing delay to a commercial flight she was meant to board.

Ambassador to the United Kingdom

In March 2021, she was appointed ambassador to the United Kingdom by the Senate of the Republic. On 23 April 2021, she officially assumed her duties as representative of Mexico in London, after presenting a copy of her credentials to the ministry of foreign affairs.

References

Living people 1965 births Cabinet of Andrés Manuel López Obrador Women secretaries of state of Mexico 21st-century Mexican women politicians Mexican ecologists Politicians from Mexico City Morena (political party) politicians Secretaries of the environment of Mexico Ambassadors of Mexico to the United Kingdom {{Mexico-politician-NationalRegeneration-stub