Distinguished Engineer Citations

Domingo Latorraca M.

Distinguished Engineer

2026

Degree

B.S. Industrial Engineering - Texas Tech University 1986

M.S. Industrial Engineering - Texas Tech University 1988

Ph.D. Industrial Engineering - Texas Tech University 1992

Citation

Domingo Latorraca is an industrial engineer and a graduate of Texas Tech University, where he earned his BSIE (1986), MSIE (1988), and PhD (1992), with a concentration in Operations Research. 

His doctoral research involved the development of simulation models to assess scheduling techniques for bidirectional ordered processes, with direct application to the Panama Canal and the scheduling of transiting vessels.

Dr. Latorraca brings more than 35 years of leadership in global consulting, finance, operations, and public service. He has held senior leadership roles with global consulting firms, leading Strategy and Analytics practices in Latin America and serving as Country CEO in Panama. Earlier in his career, he worked in marine operations with the Panama Canal Commission, a US Federal Agency in charge of the waterway.

From 2000 to 2003, he served as Deputy Finance Minister of the Republic of Panama, with responsibility for public debt management, national budgeting, economic policy, and relations with sovereign rating agencies, global bond markets, and multilateral institutions including the IMF and World Bank. He subsequently returned to the private sector, advising corporations and agencies on strategy, analytics, corporate governance, and financial structuring.

In 2020, Dr. Latorraca established ELEMENTE, a consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, analytics, financial advisory, and project management, with a focus on strengthening governance and corporate strategy of family businesses in Panama.

Dr. Latorraca has maintained a longstanding professional relationship with the Panama Canal Authority. As a consultant, he participated in the process of the evaluation of proposals for the waterway´s expansion program, supported post-expansion strategic planning, and participated in valuation processes of energy assets.

In July 2025, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Panama Canal Authority, overseeing a critical global infrastructure asset responsible for the safe transit of approximately 14,000 vessels and 500 million metric tons of cargo annually, and the provision of freshwater to more than two million people.

Domingo Latorraca was admitted into the Industrial Engineering Academy of Texas Tech University (2001). He served as President of the Panama Chamber of Commerce and held board roles in leading civic and social organizations. He currently serves on the board of Fundación Sus Buenos Vecinos, a leading Panamanian education-focused NGO.

At the center of Dr. Latorraca’s life is his family. He and his wife, Alma, have built their life around their four children—Victoria, Valeria, Verónica, and Vicente—whom he describes as their greatest source of purpose.