Mary-Belle Cruz Ayala

Mary-Belle Cruz A. is a Ph.D. candidate in the Arid Lands Resource Sciences-Graduate Interdisciplinary Program. Her current research focuses on assessing the role that governance plays in hindering or promoting projects to recover groundwater in Mexico. Before being a Ph.D., Mary-Belle worked for the Federal Congress and participated in the development of the Law of the Nations Water. In addition, for more than 5 years, she has worked as a freelance consultant developing and carrying out training plans for professionals involved in the management of natural resources, urban planning, and water conservation in Baja California Sur, México. During her career, she had collaborated on initiatives to integrate social, economic, legal, and scientific perspectives to make better public policy decisions regarding the allocation of natural resources.