Josefina Coutiño, Mexico
“Learning that there are better or worse situations than your own is important, but above all, learning to appreciate the diversity that the experience of knowing and living abroad offers us.”
Josefina Coutiño is a Guatemalan senior development professional with over 20 years of experience leading rule of law and transparency projects throughout Latin America. She has been Chief of Party for over ten of these years. Her experience with Tetra Tech has not only given her constant and stable work, but it has provided her with professional growth opportunities, cultural challenges, and continuous change, enriching Josefina as a person and as a professional.
Josefina, a Guatemalan native, has spent most of her professional career away from her family, who stayed in Guatemala and lived with her mother to finish their professional careers. “The positive impact has been that now, my children have learned to be independent and responsible professionals.” This was made possible due to the advancement of communication technologies allowing them to stay virtually connected. These virtual connections have allowed Josefina see her family grow and experience their professional achievements because she has been unable to be there in person.
“As a mother who works abroad, my family connects and is attentive to one another daily. This has allowed us to learn that family ties are crucial support to face challenges and to celebrate achievements.”
Josefina’s lifestyle has changed and developed as a result of living overseas. Someone she met along her professional journey told her once, “when travelling, the ideas grow.” Josefina said, “I have verified this is true.” In addition, she believes raising children overseas is a golden opportunity. They learn other cultures, languages, and see the world with new and different colors, flavors, and textures. “Learning that there are better or worse situations than your own is important, but above all, learning to appreciate the diversity that the experience of knowing and living abroad offers us.”
Most recently, Josefina provided significant contributions of intellect and experience to our rule of law team’s recent report on institutional integrity, which has been successfully introduced in the Dominican Republic, Peru, and now Mexico, where she is serving as Program Director on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Promoting Justice Project (PROJUST). She has been repeatedly lauded for her ability to build consensus among different actors and achieve results in challenging work environments.
Josefina looks forward to continuing her international career with Tetra Tech, while maintaining a strong relationship with her family and her grandchildren, virtually and in person.
