Emma Polanco

Emma Polanco Melo is a Dominican accountant and academic. She is the first woman to serve as rector of the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD), and was the first woman elected dean of its Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences.

Early life Emma Polanco was born in Puerto Plata, the youngest of eight siblings.

She met her future husband, Cándido Mercedes, in 1981. They would go on to have three children together.

Career In 1977, Polanco began working as deputy manager at the Dominican International Exchange Company.

She held other prominent positions in Dominican companies, such as Representaciones Titanic, where she served as financial manager. In 1979, she became head of the accounting and costs department of Explotaciones Mineras del Caribe, and in 1981, she took over the financial department of the NAINSA company. In addition to these positions, she provided financial advice at the Haitian Embassy in the Dominican Republic in 1990, and in 1994 advised the cost and tax department of Ethical Pharmaceutica.

After her first daughter was born with a congenital heart defect, she left the business world and dedicated herself to research and teaching at the Santo Domingo Institute of Technology (INTEC), becoming director of its accounting school from 1991 to 1996.

Recognition Emma Polanco received the Honor of Professional Merit from the Inter-American Accounting Association and the Latin American Association of Accounting Faculties and Schools (ALAFEC) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In addition, she was recognized by the Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic as an Outstanding Woman in 2018, thanks to her contributions to the development of the community and the country.