Dr. María del Carmen Avendaño-Rito

Professor Dr. Rito is a Zapotec scholar from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and a postdoctoral fellow at the Instituto Tecnológico del Valle de Etla through the  Postdoctoral Fellowships for Indigenous Women with Doctoral Degrees in Mexico program. She holds a Ph.D. in Sciences in Conservation and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources from the Instituto Politécnico Nacional and is a member of the National System of Researchers (SECIHTI).

She has contributed to environmental institutions and universities through research, teaching, and academic management. Her research focuses on corporate social responsibility in wind energy, circular economy approaches using agave by-products, and community-based tourism development.