Ligia Vado, Ph.D., has joined CUNA as senior economist, the organization announced Monday. Vado is the newest addition to the Research & Policy Analysis team, which focuses on research and data analytics to support CUNA’s advocacy efforts.

Vado brings over 20 years of experience in economics and financial policy research, delivering results for national and global organizations. A specialist in risk, insurance, and mortgage markets, Vado develops robust data science solutions, machine learning models, and quantitative analysis.

“We’re thrilled to have Ligia join our team. From her policy analysis experience to her data visualization skills, Ligia is an exceptional professional with a terrific background and a passion for credit unions,” said Mike Schenk, CUNA Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer and Chief Economist. “Ligia brings a fresh, keen perspective to the credit union movement. Her contributions will help strengthen the research that drives our advocacy.” 

Prior to joining CUNA, Vado was a Professor of Business Analytics at Thomas More University and a Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance Specialist at the World Bank. Vado also previously served as an Insights and Analytics Services Analyst for CUNA Mutual Group, facilitating business solutions through various information technology projects.

Vado completed her Ph.D. at North Carolina State University and earned master’s degrees in economics from both North Carolina State University and Texas Tech University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in economics and finance from Thomas More University in Nicaragua.