PhD in Economics from the University of Chicago (1999), Master in Economic Policy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1994) and graduated in economics from the Federal University of Parana in Brazil (1990).

He first served as Manager of Economic Studies of the Central Bank of Paraguay (2001-2004) then served as Senior Economist for Argentina at the World Bank (2004-2006) in Washington, DC. In 2006, he joined the International Monetary Fund as Senior Economist for country missions to Africa, Europe and the Western Hemisphere. From 2011 until his appointment as Governor, he served as IMF Resident Representative for Brazil and Bolivia.