Signe Zeikate (Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union, 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 First Lady or First Gentleman of Costa Rica (Spanish: ''Primera dama o Primer caballero de Costa Rica'') is the title of the wife or husband of the president of Costa Rica. Traditionally, the president's wife was colloquially known as ''la presid ...

, 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. He has written multiple research reports and prepared projects related to public finances. In 2001, he received the Hubert Humphrey Honorary Fellowship from the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washi ...

to study at the American University in

Washington DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

which allowed him to work for the World Bank in

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. There, she met her future husband, who also worked at the World Bank. Before settling in Costa Rica, the couple lived in Jakarta,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, 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