Luz Helena Sarmiento Villamizar
Quick Facts
Biography
Luz Helena Sarmiento Villamizar is a Colombian geologist, and a former Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, serving in the administration of President Juan Manuel Santos Calderón. The former Director of the National Authority of Environmental Licenses (ANLA); a Colombian government agency in charge of licensing mining, energy, and infrastructure projects; she graduated from the Industrial University of Santander, and previously worked in the energy sector.
Minister of Environment
On 5 September 2013, as part of a planned cabinet reshuffle, President Santos announced the appointment of Sarmiento as the new Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development. Sarmiento was sworn in on 11 September succeeding Juan Gabriel Uribe Vegalara in the post. She was succeeded by Gabriel Vallejo as Minister of Environment on August 2014.