Teresa Coelho was born in Nazaré in 1970.
She graduated in Law from the Coimbra University School of Law (1988-93); she has a postgraduate degree in International Relations from the Higher Institute for Social and Political Science at Lisbon Technical University and in Public Procurement from the Legal and Political Science Institute at the University of Lisbon School of Law; she has a master’s degree in Managing Human Resources from the Paris School of Business.
A lawyer since 1995, she was assistant and chief of cabinet of the Secretary of State for Fisheries (1996 to 2002); assistant to the Secretary of State for Home Affairs and Civil Protection (2005 to 2008); assistant and chief of cabinet of the Secretary of State for Rural Development and Forests (2009); deputy director general for Fisheries and Aquaculture (2010 to 2012); head of the Internal Audit Office of Docapesca - Portos e Lotas, SA (2012 and 2015) and Chair of the Board of Directors of Docapesca - Portos e Lotas, SA (2016 to 2020).
She represented Portugal on the Board of Directors of the European Fisheries Control Agency (2010-2012).
She co-wrote several publications in the field of fisheries, of which we note the book "Fisheries Legislation, Main Diplomas to Regulate the Activity" (Publisher: Fim de Século).
She was Secretary of State for Fisheries in Prime Minister António Costa’s second Government.