Nuria del Rocío Esparch Fernández (born 19 January 1969) is a

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

vian lawyer and politician who had served as the country's

Defence Minister A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

from November 2020 to July 2021.

Early life and education

Esparch was born in

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

on 19 January 1969. At the age of 14, Esparch was denied admission to a naval school, as ''"no room for women in the navy"''. She studied law at the

Pontifical Catholic University of Peru Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (, PUCP) is a private university in Lima, Peru. It was founded in 1917 with the support and approval of the Catholic church, being the oldest private institution of higher learning in the country. The Peru ...

. She graduated from the

Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs (Maxwell School) is the professional public policy school of Syracuse University, a private research university in Syracuse, New York. The school is organized in 11 academic departments and 1 ...

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

with a

Master of Public Administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the ...

in 2000.

Career

Esparch joined the public service in 1997. She was general Secretary in the ministries of Agriculture and Labor from 2001 until 2005, and served an advisor to the Vice Ministry of the Interior from 2003–2004. She was appointed Deputy Minister of Administrative and Economic Affairs by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Alan García Alan Gabriel Ludwig García Pérez (; 23 May 1949 – 17 April 2019) was a Peruvian politician who served as President of Peru for two non-consecutive terms from 1985 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2011. He was the second leader of the American Popula ...

in 2006. From 2008 until February 2011, she was Executive President of the National Civil Service Authority (SERVIR). From 2014 until 2018, Esparch was Manager of Institutional Relations for construction company Graña y Montero. Esparch was appointed

defence minister A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

by interim president

Francisco Sagasti Francisco Rafael Sagasti Hochhausler (; born 10 October 1944) is a Peruvian engineer, academic, politician, and author who served as the President of Peru from November 2020 to July 2021. Sagasti has worked as an advisor for economic developme ...

on 18 November 2020, the first woman to hold the position. Later that month, she reported that 10,000 members of the country's Armed Forces were being trained to deliver

COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Knowledge about the structure and fun ...

s as soon as they become available.

Awards and honors

Esparch has been given the highest civilian distinctions from the

Armed Forces of Peru The Peruvian Armed Forces () are the military services of Peru, comprising independent Army, Navy and Air Force components. Their primary mission is to safeguard the country's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity against any threat ...

. In 2021, Esparch was selected to become a member of the US National Academy of Public Administration.

References

External links

Profile of Nuria Esparch in Spanish
{{DEFAULTSORT:Esparch, Nuria Living people 1969 births Politicians from Lima Pontifical Catholic University of Peru alumni Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs alumni Defense ministers of Peru Women government ministers of Peru Female defence ministers 21st-century Peruvian politicians 21st-century Peruvian women politicians Fellows of the United States National Academy of Public Administration 20th-century Peruvian lawyers 20th-century Peruvian women lawyers