Santiago Creuheras

Santiago Creuheras is a distinguished expert and scholar in public policy and sustainable development whose career has advanced democratic governance through institution-building, citizen participation, and strategic policymaking. With a strong academic foundation and extensive experience in both national and international contexts, he has supported democratic transitions by advising governments on reforms that strengthen transparency, accountability, and inclusive decision-making.

Santiago’s research revisits Mexico’s democratization process, first examined 25 years ago in The Mexican Transition Toward Democratization in the Twentieth Century. His current work evaluates the state of democracy and sustainable development in the region a quarter century later. By examining the endurance and evolution of democratic institutions in Mexico, he seeks to assess the broader challenges facing Latin American democracies today, including political backsliding, polarization, institutional fragility, economic inequality, and the erosion of civil liberties.

In parallel, Santiago is developing research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, equity, and governance. His work explores how emerging technologies can support a just transition toward sustainable and inclusive economies while mitigating risks of inequality and democratic erosion, as well as the use of artificial intelligence in international negotiations. He is also examining and exploring the ethical, institutional, and democratic dimensions of organ transplant systems with Dr. Aditya Pawar, advocating for their democratization through greater transparency, fairer allocation, and improved public oversight—aiming to ensure that life-saving resources are distributed in ways that uphold both efficiency and social justice.

Before joining the Ash Center, he was a John F. Kennedy Fellow, an Edward Mason Fellow, and a Visiting Scholar at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. He previously served as Mexico’s Deputy Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Energy and as a senior advisor to the Mexican Congress. He has also held positions at the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, the International Energy Agency, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Office of Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II, Harvard’s David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Mexico’s Ministry of Finance, and the Office of the President of Mexico, among others. He has also served as an academic observer at the United Nations.

Globally, Santiago was elected Chair of the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC) with the unanimous endorsement of all member countries, and he co-led the G20 Energy Efficiency and Energy Transitions Finance Working Group for several years—advancing energy transition finance, sustainable development, and the democratization of the energy sector.

At Harvard University, he is a member of the teaching team for the courses Getting Things Done, Leading Economic Growth, and Implementing Public Policy, working alongside Professors Matt Andrews and Ricardo Hausmann. He serves on the Weatherhead Center for International Studies Advisory Board, was President of Harvard Alumni for Climate and the Environment, serves on the advisory board, and is a Director at Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education Board of Directors, as well as an Elected Director and Graduate School Director of the Harvard Alumni Association. He is a lifetime member and cofounder of the Harvard Alumni Latino Alliance, a member of the Board of Governors of the Harvard Club of Boston, a past president and current board member of the Harvard Club of Mexico, and a current member of the Harvard Clubs in New York, San Diego, and Washington, D.C., and the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard. Santiago also proudly serves as a Harvard College interviewer and as a member of the Host Family Program, which fosters informal connections among alumni, faculty, administrators, other members of the Harvard community, and first-year students.

Santiago cofounded the MBA/MPA program at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, where he is affiliated as a Professor of Management. He has also taught undergraduate and graduate students at leading academic institutions worldwide.

Santiago holds three master’s degrees from Harvard University—in Public Administration, Government, and History—as well as a master’s in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge. He has earned graduate certificates and credentials from Harvard University, the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, the University of Chicago, and Universidad Iberoamericana. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of the Americas.