The current President of the Ecuadorian National Assembly, Gabriela Rivadeneira Burbano has obtained her degree in Management for Local Sustainable Development at Universidad Politecnica Salesiana-Quito. The Management for Local Sustainable Development major was created in 1998 to educate students from an interdisciplinary perspective aimed at building a more inclusive and fair society. 

This major meets the needs of social organizations and local governments to influence and renew practices of public management according to real existing conditions in peripheral, culturally diverse, socially diverse and fragile ecological territories.

This undergraduate program can be taken in distance mode during 8 semesters where students must take 5 subjects (per semester) and attend class twice a month for 3 days (24 hours of class). When students are not attending class, they are supported by their professors through a virtual communication system as well as tutoring.  

Gabriela Rivadeneira began her studies on September 14th, 2009, finished in 2013 and then presented her thesis titled ""Sistematización del proceso de participación ciudadana y política de la mancomunidad de la cuenca del Lago San Pablo periodo 2011-2013" on April 13th, 2015. Her thesis can be found in the university's digital repository DSPACE.

In her thesis, Gabriela Rivadeneira studied the Commonwealth of rural districts such as San Rafael de la Laguna, San Pablo del Lago, González Suárez and Eugenio Espejo, and their role in building a "good life" in indigenous communities. Her work represents the experience of Cuenca del Lago de San Pablo in Imbabura, which started with a local analysis of its inhabitants and authorities of the four districts. 

Rivadeneira's study is focused on people's participation and local development, it included the provincial government, the municipality of Otavalo the members of the four districts, and the cooperation of some ministers.  The aim was to face local problems such as a disorganized growth of the territory, the lack of infrastructure to meet basic needs and the pollution of Lago San Pablo.

Some other national figures who have graduated from this major are: Jorge Guamán, Prefect of Cotopaxi; Jorge Carrera, Manager of Ferrocarriles del Ecuador E.P., responsable for the reconstruction of the heritage train; María Andrade, Kichwa Saraguro, coordinator of the program "PROINDIGENA de la GIZ" and former coordinator of ONU Mujeres; Gabriela Rivadeneira, President of the National Assembly;  Humberto Cholango, Kichwa Cayambi former president of the "Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador Conaie"; Juan Cuvi, social leader and politician, director of the Fundación Donum, de Cuenca and Coordinator of Movimiento Montecristi Vive; Delfín Tenesaca, former president of ECUARUNARI; Manuel Castro, former mayor of Suscal, Pacha Cabascan consultant for ECUARUNARI and former consultant for the General Secretary of Community of Andean Nations.