For making sure there’s space for everyone in project management.

Automation Manager at Scotiabank | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

José Eduardo Durán believes project management was always his destiny.

“A lot of people think you are made into a project manager,” he says, laughing. “But I was born a project manager.” José Eduardo realized early on what his career path would look like—even if he hadn’t yet heard of project management as a profession.

As a student, he says, “I loved leading projects. In my vocational high school, I was always the project leader or project coordinator. I’d feel stressed when things wouldn’t go the way they should, and I’d think, ‘If I’d known how to do this, I would have done it better.’”

At the age of 18, José Eduardo, who is from the Dominican Republic, was awarded a full scholarship to study in the United States under the Department of State’s Community College Initiative Program (CCIP). It was during this time that he discovered specialized courses in project management, “I wanted to learn the theories of what makes a project successful. It was exciting to know that there was a way to do things—a way that could help me be a better leader and help guide a project successfully.”

The experience was profoundly formative for José Eduardo. “When I learned there was a whole world of techniques, ideas, and practices, I felt excited because there was so much to help me blossom as a leader. It may sound like a cliché, but it’s not: It was like a whole universe opened up to me. I suddenly had access to a guide.”

After completing his degree and earning the first of multiple project management certifications, José Eduardo returned to the Dominican Republic and was hired by Scotiabank, where he works as an automation manager for Central America and the Caribbean.

As the youngest member of his team, José Eduardo says that some of his greatest challenges are from older colleagues and stakeholders who may think he’s too young and inexperienced to be entrusted with complex project management responsibilities.

“I am 24,” he says, “I’m a gay man. I’ve had to learn how to navigate roles, and how to manage situations, and how to build resilience. But every challenge or barrier presents two opportunities: (1) to bring all my experience and knowledge to show that I’m capable and (2) to bring all my energy to overcome and overdeliver on people’s expectations. I always deliver. I’m a go-getter.”

For José Eduardo delivering value is paramount.