Current Panama Canal authority administrator to discuss global trade

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, economist and the current administrator of the Panama Canal Authority through 2026, will discuss the Canal’s role in global trade across time during the 43rd Annual William A. Patterson Distinguished Transportation Lecture on Wednesday, May 7 at Northwestern University.

The popular event will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Walter Athletics Center Auditorium at 2255 Campus Drive, on the Evanston campus. Sponsored by the Northwestern University Transportation Center, the lecture is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Media are welcome to attend but should note that the lecture will focus primarily on the technical elements of international trade and not current politics.

The Panama Canal handles over 500 million tons of cargo and 13,000 ships annually, facilitating approximately 5% of all global trade. From its opening in 1914 through 1979, the Canal was controlled by the U.S., which took over the project in 1904, but the Panamanian government took partial control of the waterway in 1979, and full control on the last day of 1999.

Before he was appointed administrator of the Panama Canal Authority in 2019, Vásquez held several prominent finance positions within public administration and has experience in financial, economic and administrative management of private companies. He was the first non-U.S. chief financial officer for the Panama Canal. Vásquez holds doctoral and master’s degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an additional master’s degree from North Carolina State University and a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University.

The Patterson Transportation Lecture is an award that recognizes influential leaders from all facets of the transportation industry. It is supported by the Patterson Transportation Endowment, established at Northwestern in 1979 to honor the late William A. Patterson, founder and CEO of United Airlines.

Northwestern University Transportation Center is one of the world’s leading interdisciplinary education and research institutions, serving industry, government and the public. Founded in 1954 to make substantive and enduring contributions to the movement of materials, people, energy and information, the center stands at the forefront of transportation research and education, bringing together academic researchers, students and business affiliates in open exploration of transportation and supply chain operations.

For more information, call 847-491-7287 or visit the Transportation Center.