Claudia Rodríguez de Castellanos

Emma Claudia Castellanos
Official portrait, 2018
Senator of Colombia
In office July 20, 2018 – July 20, 2022
In office July 20, 2006 – July 20, 2010
In office December 12, 1991 – July 20, 1994
Ambassador of Colombia to Brazil
In office October 6, 2004 – May 30, 2005
President	Álvaro Uribe
Preceded by	Jorge Garavito
Succeeded by	Mario Galofre Cano
Personal details
Born	Claudia Yadira Inés Rodríguez Almanza (1960-05-04) May 4, 1960 (age 65) Bogotá, D.C., Colombia
Political party	Social Party of National Unity (2010-present)
Other political affiliations	National Christian Party (1989-2006) Radical Change (2006-2010)
Spouse	César Castellanos ​ (m. 1985)​
Children	Johanna Castellanos Lorena Castellanos Manuela Castellanos Sara Castellanos Matías Castellanos
Education	Sergio Arboleda University
Alma mater	La Gran Colombia University (BL)
Profession	Lawyer pastor politician

Emma Claudia Castellanos[1] (née Rodríguez Almanza;[a] born May 4, 1960) is a Colombian lawyer, evangelical pastor and politician who served as a Senator of Colombia from 1991 to 1994, from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2018 to 2022 and as Ambassador of Colombia to Brazil from 2004 to 2005 under President Álvaro Uribe.

Castellanos studied law at La Gran Colombia University and later earned a specialization in Constitutional Law from Sergio Arboleda University. She is a co-founder of the International Charismatic Mission Church, of which she is pastor with her husband. Castellanos has been one of the most prominent Christian leaders in Colombian politics, founding the National Christian Party.[2]

Early life

Claudia Yadira Inés Rodríguez Almanza[b] was born on May 4, 1960, in Bogotá, D.C., to Luis Alfonso Rodríguez and Yolanda Almanza. She met César Castellanos in 1980 during a meeting of Evangelical Churches. She studied law at La Gran Colombia University and later Legislative Technique Studies at the School of Public Administration. In 1983, she obtained a specialization in Constitutional Law from Sergio Arboleda University.

Political career

Castellanos has been described as one of Colombia's most experienced politicians. Her political career began in 1989 when, together with her husband, she founded the National Christian Party, with which she would later launch her presidential campaign in 1990 and for which she would be elected Senator during the 1991 Constituent Assembly of Colombia under the name of the Christian Union.[2] In 2006, the party was closed down after losing its legal status, preventing her from obtaining its endorsement for her campaign for Mayor of Bogotá. She received endorsement from the Radical Change Party, a party she would remain in until 2010, when she officially joined the Social Party of National Unity, of which she is currently a member.[3][4]

Notes

1. Name prior to her marriage: Claudia Yadira Inés Rodríguez Almanza, formerly Claudia Rodríguez de Castellanos, later change to Emma Claudia Castellanos her current name.
2. In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Rodríguez and the second or maternal family name is Almanza.

References

1. "Emma Claudia Castellanos". Cuestion Pública.
2. "¿Conveniente o no la aprobación de la ampliación del cupo de endeudamiento?: senadora Emma Claudia Castellanos". 2020.
3. Tiempo, Redacción El (1997-05-26). "ATENTADO CONTRA EX SENADORA". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-12-10.
4. "Cristianos, como el hijo pródigo, vuelven a Cambio Radical". El Colombiano (in European Spanish). 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2024-12-10.

External links

• Rodríguez de Castellanos, Claudia (2005). La Mujer en el Ministerio (in Spanish). Hollywood, FL: G12 Editores. ISBN 9781932285598. OCLC 792930797.

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Jorge Garavito	Ambassador of Colombia to Brazil 2004–2005	Succeeded by Mario Galofre Cano