2024 Americas Regional Conference
Ilya Espino de Marotta is a distinguished Panamanian engineer renowned for her pivotal role in leading the Panama Canal Expansion Project. Her journey with the Panama Canal began in 1985 when she joined the Industrial Division shipyard as the sole woman engineer. Espino de Marotta's educational background includes a degree in Marine Engineering from Texas A&M University in Galveston, Texas, USA, followed by a Master's in Economic Engineering from the Universidad Santa Maria La Antigua in Panama.
Her career at the Panama Canal Authority is marked by several significant milestones. In 2012, she made history by being appointed as the Executive Vice President for Engineering, becoming the first woman to hold this position in the history of the Panama Canal Authority. Her leadership was instrumental in the completion of the Panama Canal Expansion Program. Further elevating her illustrious career, she began her tenure as Deputy Administrator on January 1, 2020, a role that crowns her more than 35 years of dedication to the Panama Canal Authority