Ernesto Hernández-Catá received his License in Political Science from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, and his Ph.D in Economics from Yale University. He spent most of his career at the International Monetary Fund where he served as Associate Director of the African and the Western hemisphere Departments; manager of the World Economic Outlook; and chief negotiator with the Russian Federation. He was also chairman of the Investment Committee of the Staff Retirement Plan. At various times he taught at the Latin American Program in Applied Economics of The American University (macroeconomics) and at the School of Advanced International Studies of the John Hopkins University (economic development).