Carlos Francisco Theodoro Machado Ribeiro de Lessa, better known simply as Carlos Lessa (July 30, 1936 – June 5, 2020) was a Brazilian economist and professor. He was born in Rio de Janeiro. From 2002 to 2003, he was Rector of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Between 2003 to 2004, Lessa was President of the Brazilian Development Bank.