Dr. Ydahlia Metzgen, the principal steward of Calico Jack’s and El Progresso
Field Station, is committed to mindful, sustainable living and development, living
in harmony with nature and empowering personal mastery. Dr. Ydahlia’s goals
with respect to human and economic development have been inspired by the
example of her teacher of more than 30 years, Mata Amritananda Mayi.
Dr. Ydahlia’s work in economic policy as a senior level official at the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) for more than 20 years has driven her
commitment to human and economic development. In addition, Dr. Ydahlia’s
expertise in finance including managing the IMF’s US$20 billion investment
portfolio and the foreign exchange portfolios of other large financial institutions
ignited her focus on the role of finance in development.
Dr. Ydahlia returned home to empower Belizeans and others to take
responsibility for their lives through opportunities for education, training and
enhanced self–awareness; and to participate in the sustainable development of
Belize’s economy. In this regard, Dr. Ydahlia’s vision is to have these projects
serve as a model of sustainable and mindful development. Through El
Progresso Field Station (EPFS), Dr. Ydahlia leads an experienced team that
teaches tourism sector related-skills, financial management through its
innovative program Money Smartz for BelizeTM , sustainable development
through its Sustainable Economic and Community Development Program as well as
personal mastery skills. Calico Jack’s and El Progresso Field Station (EPFS) also
facilitate advanced education scholarships for village students and donated an
acre of land for the village’s first Pre-Primary School that graduated its first
class in 2022.
Dr. Ydahlia has a PhD and MPA in Economics and Public Policy from Princeton
University and an MA from McGill University. She has studied human
development with Werner Erhard, Bob Proctor, Dr. Joe Dispenza and Pravin
Gambhir.