Signe Zeikate (born in February 2, 1972) is a Latvian economist and was director of the "Programme for the Development of Poor Countries" of the World Bank. She is currently the
first lady of Costa Rica, as she is the wife of President
Rodrigo Chaves.
Biography
Daughter of Gunars and Nina Zeikate. She has an older sister named Yolanta.
From the ages of 7 to 19, she practiced dancing. She was a national ballroom dance champion in her country in the late 1980s.
Zeikate earned a master's in economics from the University of Latvia and studied in the public policy doctoral program.
She was the head of the municipal finance department of the Latvian Ministry of Finance. She headed the unit that supervised and evaluated the financial viability of subnational governments and represented the Ministry of Finance on the State Subnational Debt and Guarantees Board.
She has written multiple research reports and prepared projects related to public finances.
In 2001, she received the Hubert Humphrey Honorary Fellowship from the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
to study at the American University in
Washington DC
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
which allowed her to work for the World Bank in
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
. There, she met her future husband, who also worked at the World Bank.
Before settling in Costa Rica, the couple lived in
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, for five years, where Chaves was director of one of the largest offices of the World Bank.
After more than 20 years working at the World Bank, she announced that she was resigning from her position to assume her role as first lady, from which she will focus her work on the planning and coordination of alliances that provide support for the comprehensive development of Costa Rican children and youth.
Zeikate assured that they would prioritize children from less advantaged backgrounds and areas with a higher incidence of poverty. The transversal theme will be gender equality and the empowerment of girls.
Through links with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, and Youth, among others, the pillars of prioritization for the first lady are learning (English and technology), protection (coexistence and anti-bullying), recreation (culture and sports), and physical and mental health.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeicate, Signe
First ladies and gentlemen of Costa Rica
1972 births
Living people