Hildegard Vasquez

Biography

Hildegard Vasquez has led the architectural office Hache Uve, which she created, since 1998, concentrating mostly on preservation and renovation of historic sites such as San Felipe, Panama´s historic district, and the city of Granada, Nicaragua. She is a founding member and president of Fundación Calicanto, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring and conserving the historic and human heritage of Casco Antiguo (San Felipe). Fundación Calicanto projects include the re-socialization of local gangs, educational programs for single mothers, a leadership in the arts program for kids, multi-cultural events, and many direct battles for the conservation of historical heritage. She is also chairman of the board of the Interoceanic Canal Museum and was part of the board of the Museum of Contemporary Arts from 2001 to 2005. Hildegard has a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of fine arts from Rhode Island School of Design and a master of architecture in historic restoration from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. She was a finalist for Avon Woman of the Year in 2011, Hero for Panama in 2011, and recognized as a Light in the Community by the Association of Women Entrepreneurs in Panama in 2011. Hildegard is a 2011 finalist for the McNulty Prize, winner of the 2013 Latin America FT/Citibank Urban Ingenuity Award, and recipient of the 2014 RISD Professional Achievement Award. She is a Fellow of the second class of the Central America Leadership Initiative as well as a member of and moderator for the Aspen Global Leadership Network.