Emma Claudia Castellanos

Emma Claudia Castellanos (née Rodríguez Almanza; 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.

Early life Claudia Yadira Inés Rodríguez Almanza 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.