Matthew Aho is an international affairs specialist at Akerman LLP, with more than a decade of experience working on issues throughout Latin America, with a particular focus on Cuba, Venezuela, Central America, Peru, and Mexico.

Prior to joining Akerman, he was Manager of the Policy Department at the New York headquarters of Americas Society and Council of the Americas (AS/COA)—the Western Hemisphere’s premiere business membership organization—and editor of the hemispheric policy magazine Americas Quarterly. From 2009–2012, Matthew oversaw the AS/COA’s Cuba Working Group (CWG), which since 2008 has brought together senior executives of select-Fortune 500 companies with officials from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, Treasury, and the National Security Council to discuss topics including financial services, telecommunications, energy, pharmaceuticals, hospitality, and agriculture. The CWG’s discussions focus on possible future changes to U.S.–Cuba relations. In this capacity, Matthew is a recognized expert on the legal and regulatory frameworks comprising the U.S. embargo on trade with Cuba. During his tenure at AS/COA, Matthew also worked on region-wide public policy projects on issues ranging from insecurity and violence prevention to youth unemployment.

Matthew holds a Master of International Affairs degree in international economic policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and a B.A. in Political Studies from Bard College. Matthew has lived extensively in Latin America, including Venezuela, Peru, and Brazil. In 2002, he was awarded a Fulbright grant and conducted year-long research on agricultural markets in Peru. Matt is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Portuguese and Russian.

Aldo Alvarez is a Cuban-trained, Havana-based attorney and commercial analyst who represents U.S. and international companies that require sound independent legal advice, business intelligence, and Cuba market entry planning assistance. As a graduate of both the University of Havana's school of law and Carlos III University of Madrid's master's program in corporate law, Mr. Alvarez is one of the only European-trained lawyers currently providing independent services on the island. In addition to his roster of European and Latin American clients, Mr. Alvarez has worked alongside several U.S. law firms to help guide American companies through the Cuban market's unique legal and bureaucratic challenges. Since 2015, Aldo has assisted airlines, cruise lines, online travel platforms, live events companies (Major Lazer – 2016), sports leagues, consumer goods companies, financial services providers, shipping and logistics providers, building materials exporters, and many others. He has also advised individuals on wills and estates matters and the procurement of official documents (birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, etc.). Prior to his return to Cuba in February 2015, Aldo spent six years in Madrid, Spain where he completed his post-graduate studies and worked as an associate attorney advising European businesses on Cuba at Spanish law firm Interjuris. In addition to his Havana offices, Aldomaintains a presence in Madrid, Spain through his corporate entity, Mercatoria S.A. He is proficient in English.

Mercedes Barba is an Account Manager at IF Studio, a New York City brand strategy and graphic design agency. She is also the Chairwoman of Friends of Caritas Cubana’s New York Young Professionals Committee. Mercedes previously worked as an Account Coordinator for MGA Media Group.

Jorge L. Benitez retired from Accenture in August 2014 as chief executive of North America. He had primary responsibility for Accenture’s business and operations in North America, including developing and executing the company’s business strategy, delivering client service and driving its growth in the region.

Prior to being named chief executive and senior managing director, Mr. Benitez served as the chief operating officer for Products, the largest of Accenture’s five operating groups. During his five years in that role, Mr. Benitez led Accenture’s global business across a wide set of consumer-relevant industry groups, including: Automotive; Air, Freight & Travel Services; Consumer Goods & Services; Industrial Equipment; Infrastructure & Transportation Services; Life Sciences; and Retail. He has also served as the Executive Sponsor for several of Accenture’s largest clients.

During his 33+ years at Accenture, Mr. Benitez served clients in the Chemicals, Energy, Retail, Automotive, Consumer Packaged Goods and Life Sciences industries. His skills and expertise include: Large-scale Transformations, Enterprise System Implementations, Change Management and Leadership Development.

Mr. Benitez serves on a variety of Boards and Forums focused on Business, Education, Policy, and Health. These include: The Busisness Roundtable, The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Chief Executive 50, Global 100, Change the Equation, The Business for Higher Education Forum, Leugemia and Lymphoma Society and the University of Florida Warrington School of Business.

Mr. Benitez has been recognized for his impact on business and the Latino society. Specifically, Hispanic Business Magazine named him to its “2011 Top 25 Corporate Elite”, list and, in 2004, selected him as one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the United States. He was also selected to the PODER Top 100 Influential Hispanics in 2011. Diversity Inc. recognized Mr. Benitez as one of their “People on the Move” in 2011. In 2012 Mr. Benitez was welcomed into the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce CEO Circle.

Cristina Benitez is a Director in the Office of Strategic Management at Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits in Miami. As a former a strategy and operations management consultant, she has helped corporations and nonprofit organizations define and implement their strategies. She has extensive experience leading high performing projects and teams, managing stakeholder relationships, driving business analysis, and developing impactful presentations and working sessions.

Rosamaria is a bilingual entrepreneurial operations and business development executive with a focus on emerging industries. She is a passionate Cuban-American with unique knowledge in establishing and running private business operations in Cuba.

Rosamaria is a co-founder and advisor to Mandao, established in 2019, it is the first of its kind home delivery service in Cuba, specializing in restaurant, grocery and package delivery. Mandao operates in Havana, Holguin, Matanzas province, Santa Clara, Cienfuegos and Trinidad, and in 2021 became one of the first PYMEs (LLCs) to be approved in Cuba.

Previously, Rosamaria worked for Carnival Corporation becoming an in-house expert on Cuba operations and designing the overall Cuba experience as well as managing relationships with on-ground partners in Cuba helping to launch cruise operations for Fathom, Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America and Seabourn.

Prior to her involvement in Cuba-related ventures, Rosamaria was a serial entrepreneur launching and building multiple companies over 20 years. She has extensive and diverse experience spanning a number of industries from web development to Spanish language television and e-commerce in the natural and organic products industry as well as sustainability consulting.

Rosamaria holds a JD from Georgetown University Law Center and a BA in Political Science and Economics from Wellesley College. Rosamaria splits her time between Miami and NYC.

Tere Alvarez Canida is President and portfolio manager of Taplin, Canida & Habacht, LLC (TCH), an investment management firm specializing in fixed income account management. Founded in 1985 and located in Miami, Florida, TCH manages client assets for public and corporate pension funds, endowments, foundations and hospitals. Tere is responsible for the firm’s investment policy and strategy and managing client portfolios along with the firm’s other portfolio managers. Prior to founding TCH in 1985, Ms. Canida was Vice President and Senior Investment Officer for Southeast Banks Trust Company. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and an MBA from George Washington University.

Ms. Alvarez Canida serves on the Board of Directors of Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation, a publicly traded company based in Birmingham, Alabama. She also serves on the Board of Directors of New America Alliance (NAA), as well as the Board of Advisors for Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

Brian Cofer is a customer development and sales leader at Procter & Gamble. During his three years at P&G, Brian has been responsible for managing partnerships with top global retailers, representing brands within P&G's largest global category (Tide, Downy, Gain, Bounce). Additionally, Brian leads organizational initiatives at P&G, such as talent development and end-to-end business operations implementation. Brian is a graduate of Indiana University - Bloomington.

Mr. de Lasa served for ten years as Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Abbott Laboratories. He retired in 2005.

Evan Deahl is an Associate at Evolution Media, and assists with origination, structuring, and execution of sports, media, and entertainment M&A and financing transactions. Evan is a graduate of the Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management at the University of Pennsylvania, holding a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School and a B.A. in Biological Basis of Behavior from the College of Arts and Sciences.

Andres is a Senior Strategy Consultant with Strategy&’s Financial Services practice, where he advises global financial services institutions on growth strategy, technology transformation, and customer centricity. Previously, he led Latin America advisory and product management for Gartner Research and Advisory, and served as a Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration and as an Attorney at the U.S. Department of Energy. Andres was born in Havana and is passionate about helping to cultivate Cuba's private sector.

Karina DuQuesne is an Associate at DLA Piper LLP’s Miami office where she focuses her practice on Mergers & Acquisitions transactions across several industries. She is experienced in representing private equity & venture capital funds, management companies, and emerging, high-growth companies. Karina actively represents clients in structuring and negotiating mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, affiliations, employment, management and consulting agreements. Karina began her career at Goldman Sachs as a Financial Analyst in the Securities Division’s Pension, Endowment, & Foundation Group, which manages relationships with pension funds, endowments, and foundations and works with investors to develop and implement cross asset investment, risk hedging, liquidity management, private placement, and co-investment strategies. She earned a Juris Doctor and Certificate in Dispute Resolution from Benjamin N. Cardozo School in New York City, as an E. Nathaniel Gates Scholar and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Sara Egozi is a member of Twitter's global public policy strategy team in San Francisco. Her background intersects policy, business, and social entrepreneurship. Over the last three years, Sara's consulted tech companies and social ventures on marketing and partnerships. She was one of the first hires at TwentyFirstCenturyBrand, a purpose-driven brand consultancy.

Sara completed a dual MBA at Stanford and MPA at the Harvard Kennedy School, where she championed initiatives fostering U.S.-Cuba engagement. She founded and led Harvard and Stanford educational trips to Cuba. Last summer, she managed Alter Global's work in Havana with AlaMesa, the Yelp and Uber Eats of Cuba.

Sara previously drove interagency partnerships at the U.S. Institute of Peace, developing partnerships with the State Department, USAID, and Pentagon, as well as international and non-governmental organizations. She also supported the President of McLarty Associates, an international diplomatic advisory firm. Sara received her B.A. from Yale in Political Science.

Chris Ergen works in international business development for Dish Network. Chris Ergen provides direction and guidance to companies across multiple industries through his global experience in the arts, telecommunications, and media. Having consulted for Dish in the past, he officially joined the company as a business analyst in 2014 to focus on exploring international market opportunities, specifically in Cuba. He has been to Cuba for professional reasons on dozens of occasions and remains dedicated to the long-term objective of forging trade ties between the two countries. In 2018, Chris joined Dish Wireless and took over the Wireless Innovation team, where he currently spends most of his time. He attended the University of Colorado at Boulder before venturing into the world of experiential education at The National Outdoor Leadership School. He graduated in 2011 from Evergreen State College with a Bachelors of Arts.

Andres Fanjul is Executive Vice President of Fanjul Corp. and Florida Crystals Corporation. Florida Crystals owns 155,000 acres of land in Palm Beach County and produces sugar, rice and other agricultural products as well as generates renewable energy in the largest biomass power plant in North America. Florida Crystals, with its subsidiary ASR Group, the world’s largest sugar refiner, produces more than six million tons of sugar across North America and in Europe, which is marketed through the Domino®, C&H®, Florida Crystals®, Redpath®, Tate & Lyle®, Sidul® and Sores® brands. It also owns sugar mills in Mexico and Belize. In the Dominican Republic, Central Romana Corporation, another Fanjul company, is engaged in sugar milling and refining, cattle, real estate and resort hotel operations, including Casa de Campo.

Mr. Fanjul is President of Florida Crystals’ Okeelanta Division and has overseen its growth into sustainable farming, factory expansion, refining, state-of-the-art packaging and renewable energy.

Mr. Fanjul’s leadership extends to the community. As an advocate and fundraiser for disadvantaged youth and families, he and his wife Cathie have been major fundraisers for New Hope Charities, Food for the Poor, The Heart Association, Catholic Charities and other great causes.

Mr. Fanjul holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and a master’s degree in Business Administration from St. Thomas University.

Cynthia Fernandez Lumermann is a litigation associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and joined the firm in 2013. Cynthia has worked on a broad range of litigation matters, including international arbitration, corporate, commercial and deal-related litigation, securities litigation, and federal criminal cases.

From July 2016 to November 2016, Cynthia took a leave of absence from Wachtell Lipton to join Hillary for America as a vetting specialist.

Before joining Wachtell Lipton, Cynthia served as a law clerk to the Honorable Kenneth M. Karas of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York during the 2011-2012 term and to the Honorable Joseph A. Greenaway of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit during the 2012-2013 term.

She completed a J.D. magna cum laude from New York University School of Law in 2011 where she was a member of the Order of the Coif and the Developments Editor of the New York University Journal of International Law and Politics. Cynthia received an A.B. cum laude from Harvard College in 2004.

Cynthia also serves as a board member of the NYU Law Alumni Association, chairs her firm's annual fundraising efforts for the Legal Aid Society, and is a member of the Associates' Committee, an associate-led grant foundation that provides funding to legal public interest organizations.

Miguel “Mike” B. Fernandez currently serves as Chairman of MBF Healthcare Partners, LP, a private investment firm located in Coral Gables, Florida. The firm focuses on investing in healthcare service companies nationwide.

He has been the Founder and/or majority shareholder of over 20 healthcare related companies. Most of these companies have been acquired by publicly traded companies.

Mr. Fernandez is a member of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Dean’s Advisory Council. He has served on the Board of Directors of Mednax (NYSE: MD), and on the Board of Trustees of Loyola University Maryland and the University of Miami. He has also served on the Boards of Dana Farber Cancer Institute, the United Way, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and others. Mr. Fernandez has been frequently honored for his business acumen. He has been recognized dozens of times with business and community awards.

Alejandra Franganillo is a graduate of the Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, where she obtained a Master’s in Latin American Studies, with a concentration in Government, Leadership and Political Economy. She studied two years at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez and graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor’s degree in political science in 2021. In Puerto Rico, she interned for the President of the Senate and the U.S. State Department. During her time at Georgetown, she interned for the Office of Senator Marco Rubio and the Cato Institute.

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Cuban parents, her love and passion for Cuban studies contributed to her decision to embark on her Capstone project, The Voices of the MiPYMES: A Reflection of the New Non-State Actors of the Cuban Economy for Georgetown University and the FIU Cuban Research Institute.

Elaine Gantz Berman has dedicated her professional work and community service to improving the lives of Colorado’s youth primarily through public education; both preK-12 and higher education. She served on the MSU Denver Board of Trustees; was elected as the Congressional District 1 representative on the Colorado State Board of Education; and served two terms on the Denver Board of Education, four years as its president. Governor Polis, when first elected Governor, named Elaine as co-chair of his education transition committee.

Before serving in elected office, Elaine worked for 18 years as a program officer at the Denver-based Piton Foundation- now called Gary Community Ventures. She has served on numerous not-for-profit boards and commissions and helped to found the Colorado Children’s Campaign, the Adoption Exchange, the Colorado Education Initiative, the Colorado Non-Profit Development and the Hart Center for Public Service at MSU Denver. She currently is the founding co-chair of the Colorado Trustee Network.

Her commitment to public service was influenced by her late Cuban-born mother, as well as 2 years in Cali, Colombia, where she and her husband worked in community health centers. She holds an MSPH from the School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Carlos Garcia is the founder, owner, and President of KIRA, a facilities maintenance and construction services that works extensively with the Department of Defense. He is also the founder of the Garcia Family Scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania, which is awarded to students of Hispanic decent.

Maria Garcia Berry is the guiding force behind what is today one of the most influential public affairs firms in Colorado. Serving a broad spectrum of clients from transportation to professional sports teams to real estate developers, the services of Ms. Garcia Berry and her associates are sought by clients across the United States.

As chief executive officer of CRL Associates, Inc., she successfully manages CRL's broad client base that includes a variety of high-profile projects such as the Master Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for Denver's Union Station; the transformation of the former Villa Italia mall site into Belmar; and Forest City's redevelopment of Stapleton. In 2004, Ms. Garcia Berry was the campaign chair for the nation's largest proposed mass transit expansion effort, the successful FasTracks Yes campaign. She is a much sought-after consultant for other locales striving to bring an integrated and comprehensive transportation program to their area. In addition to FasTracks, she has been a strategic consultant to a number of transportation-related initiatives around the country, including a transportation master plan for the seven-county Tampa Bay region adopted in 2009 by the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA) and a 2012 regional transportation referendum in the 10-county Atlanta region that would fund $8.5 billion in transportation improvements.

Highly respected for her skills in negotiation, mediation and advocacy, Ms Garcia Berry is experienced at forging links between diverse interests and groups. She is widely recognized in her field for her expertise in government and public decision making, strategic planning, coalition building, crisis communications, community outreach, public positioning and legislative advocacy.

Maria Garcia Berry is a member of the Board of Directors of TBD Colorado, a nonpartisan, collaborative effort designed to create informed and constructive conversations among Coloradans about some of the biggest issues facing the state.

She is a member of the Auraria Higher Education Center Board of Directors; serves on the Citywide Banks Board; and is a member of the Urban Land Institute. Ms. Garcia Berry is also an alumnus of Leadership Denver. She is married to Chuck Berry, currently the CEO and president of Colorado's Association of Commerce and Industry and formerly Colorado's Speaker of the House. They have three children.

Roberto S. Goizueta is the Margaret O’Brien Flatley Professor of Catholic Theology at Boston College. Dr. Goizueta is a former President of the Catholic Theological Society of America and the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States. He holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Marquette University. Dr. Goizueta has received honorary degrees from the University of San Francisco and Elms College. The National Catholic Reporter has named him one of the ten most influential Hispanic-American educators, pastors, and theologians.

L. Felice Gorordo is the World Bank Group Alternate Executive Director for the United States since September 2023. Mr. Gorordo brings two decades of leadership experience in management and governance, serving as CEO of three venture-backed technology companies, investor and advisor at two venture capital funds with global mandates in healthcare and infrastructure, and board member on several for-profit and non-profit boards.

Most recently, Mr. Gorordo was CEO of eMerge Americas and Executive Director of the Technology Foundation of the Americas, which focuses on fostering innovation and entrepreneurship across the Americas. He also served as a venture partner at I Squared Capital, a global infrastructure platform managing assets with over $40 billion in Enterprise Value. Additionally, Mr. Gorordo co-founded and led Roots of Hope, (Raíces de Esperanza), a non-profit focused on youth empowerment in Cuba through technology and entrepreneurship.

Previously, Mr. Gorordo was President & CEO of Clearpath, a venture-backed tech company focused on empowering immigrants and revolutionizing the U.S. immigration filing process. Felice also served as advisor to the Biden Cancer Initiative, and Global Director at the venture capital fund StartUp Health.

Prior to that, Mr. Gorordo was appointed by President Barack Obama as one of fifteen White House Fellows and served in the White House Office of Public Engagement & Intergovernmental Affairs. In President George W. Bush’s Administration, Mr. Gorordo served in various positions at the U.S. Departments of Commerce, State, and Homeland Security.

Mr. Gorordo has appeared as a guest commentator on CNN, CNN en Español, BBC, NPR, CNBC, Bloomberg, NBC Nightly News, Univision, and Telemundo. His views and articles have also been published in Forbes, Fortune, Fast Company, The Economist, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.

Felice Gorordo received a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University and served as a Senior Fellow at the Georgetown Beeck Center for Social Impact & Innovation. He is a Lifetime Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and resides in Miami, FL, with his wife Bianca and three children.

Stephanie Grayson is an investment associate at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company (KKR), where she is a member of the Real Estate team. Previously, Stephanie worked at Goldman Sachs in the Alternative Investment and Manager Selection group, where she focused on real estate private equity investing. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Stephanie worked in commercial real estate financing and Latin American debt capital markets at JP Morgan. Before joining JP Morgan, Stephanie spent time at Brunswick Group consulting for a variety of clients, including a number of large Latin American financial institutions. Stephanie graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Government and Economics. During her time at Harvard, Stephanie served as President of the Harvard Cuban-American Undergraduate Student Association (CAUSA) and volunteered with Raíces de Esperanza, a national non-profit dedicated to empowering Cuban youth. Stephanie is a first-generation Cuban American from New York City. Stephanie is fluent in Spanish and conversational in Portuguese.

David Hernandez is Chairman and CEO of Liberty Power—the only minority owned retailer of electricity with a national presence. In 2001, in the midst of a national economic downturn, Mr. Hernandez teamed with other professionals from the energy, telecommunications and financial services sectors and created Liberty Power. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Liberty Power supplies power to businesses and government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and Social Security Administration. Some of their business customers include New York Life, JCPenney, Linens ‘n Things, Circuit City, Eckerd Drugs, and Lowe’s. In less than four years, Liberty Power has gone from grossing less than $1 million in their first year to more than $100 million in 2005. A native of Cuba, Mr. Hernandez graduated Magna Cum Laude from Palm Beach Atlantic University in Palm Beach, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and later earned an MBA from the New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business. He currently serves on their Alumni Council and in 2004 was awarded NYU’s Distinguished Alumni Award. He was named Entrepreneur of the Year in 2005, by Hispanic Business Magazine, and was awarded the 2004 Hispanic magazine Entrepreneur of the Year Award. In 2006, he was also chosen as one of the Top 100 Most Important Hispanics in Technology & Business by Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology Magazine. He has also been featured in both print and television articles, such as NBC’s Hispanic Today.

John Hickey is Vice Chair of Friends of Caritas Cubana. He previously served as Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of IBM, where he had a 30-year career. He is a 1965 graduate of Wesleyan University, a 1968 graduate of Columbia law school, and a 2002 graduate of Harvard Divinity School. John Hickey is an ordained Minister in the Unitarian Church.

Myrel is a Senior Associate at Insight Partners, where she focuses on investments in both high-growth and mature technology companies. Prior to joining Insight, she was an Investment Banking analyst at Morgan Stanley, where she advised on numerous M&A transactions, leveraged buyouts, spin-offs, and debt and equity offerings within the Global Services sector. Myrel graduated Magna cum Laude from Dartmouth College in 2015 with a B.A. in Government.

Myrel is actively involved in various non-profit initiatives related to the promotion of gender diversity in the workplace. Most notably, she is a founding member and Vice President of Synergist, a network that aims to empower women in the first decade of their investing careers. She remains closely tied to her alma mater by serving as the Programming Chair for the New York City chapter of the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network (DEN). Her role includes helping NY-area alumni make meaningful connections with each other and further their interests in technology and entrepreneurship by coordinating various lectures, panels, and social events.

In her spare time, Myrel enjoys running along the West Side Highway and browsing New York City restaurant blogs for her next reservation. She is a member of the Architectural League of New York and is especially interested in airport and transit architecture.

Carlos Lacasa is the former SVP and General Counsel of MCNA Heath Care Holdings, LLC, which was sold to United Health Care Corporation in 2020. He is also a former Chairman of the Board of Governors of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation and served two terms as a Republican Member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1994 to 2002.

Natalia Martínez-Kalinina was born in Cuba and grew up in Havana, Moscow, and Mexico City before being granted asylum in the United States. She is an organizational psychologist and holds degrees from Harvard University and Columbia University. She works primarily at the intersection of entrepreneurship, technology, economic progress, and urban development and is deeply passionate about connecting across geographies, access gaps, and narratives of otherness.

Most recently, Natalia is founding Principal at NMK Group, where she advises clients on economic development, human capital design, and impact strategy. Previously, she was the Founding General Manager and Latin America Lead for Cambridge Innovation Center and Chief Innovation Officer at Roots of Hope.

Natalia has also been the founder of Awesome Foundation, Aminta Ventures, and Immigrant Powered, among other organizations. She has been a contributor to outlets such as The Huffington Post, the World Economic Forum, Mic, and La Nación, The Miami Herald.

Gus Maxwell, chair of Akerman LLP’s cutting edge Cuba practice, helps Fortune 500 and other U.S. companies develop viable business interests on the island. A Cuban-American, clients appreciate his first-hand knowledge and understanding of Cuba’s culture, government, and business climate. Ranked by both Chambers Latin America and Chambers Global, where he is described by clients as “extremely knowledgeable, well connected and responsive.” He is the only U.S. lawyer ranked by both organizations.

Working on normalization since 2003, Gus has led discussions between U.S. and Cuban government officials and industry leaders on the realities of establishing ongoing business relations between the two nations. His significant experience, familiarity with the marketplace, and pragmatic long-term vision, allow him to frame client issues from both nations’ perspectives. Gus regularly accompanies clients looking to do business in Cuba.

In addition to co-teaching a seminar titled “Cuba: Law Policy and Transition” at Columbia University School of Law, Gus frequently writes and speaks on topics ranging from Cuba’s energy outlook to the island’s booming art market. He is frequently sought out for his insights by the media, including The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Miami Herald, CNN, NPR, Fox News and The American Lawyer.

John is an early stage investor focusing primarily on technology opportunities in the U.S. and Latin America. He led the early financing and is a director (chairman 2010-15) of Open Education, the parent company of Open English and Next_U, two of the leading online learning platforms in the Americas. John is an investor in and lead director of itopia, which is Google Cloud’s partner in the enterprise virtual desktop space. He co-founded the software outsourcing company CodeLabs, which is working with programmers in Latin America.

John is an advisory director of the language service provider ProTranslating, the casual dining group Sushi Maki and the ed tech investment company Exceed Capital Partners.

He is a Senior Advisor to Endeavor Global, the leading non-profit organization promoting entrepreneurship in the developing world, and has been actively involved in entrepreneur mentoring and selection with that organization for the last 15 years. John is also a member of the Council of the Americas and the Council on Foreign Relations.

John has been dedicated to various non-profit and policy initiatives related to his native Cuba since 2004. He is the chairman of the Cuba Emprende Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization which supports the largest entrepreneur training program and the only incubator/accelerator programs on the island. He was one of the Cuban Americans invited to the White House to meet with President Obama ahead of his trip to the island in March of 2016.

John had a 25 year career as an international investment banker in New York and London. He retired in 2004 as a partner of Goldman, Sachs & Co, where he spent 12 years focused on Latin America, including being Goldman’s CEO for that region. He graduated from Princeton University with an A.B. in Economics.

Ms. McKeague is a Director and member of McLarty Associates’ Latin America practice. Previously, she served as Director of Government Relations at Council of the Americas, and as a Legislative Assistant for the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Ms. McKeague was also a consultant for Freedom House, and an electoral observer for the Organization of American States. She was a Nancy S. Reynolds Scholar at Wake Forest University, with a BA with honors (cum laude) in Political Science and Spanish. She has an MA in International studies from Universidad Torcuato Di Tella.

Eduardo Mestre is Chairman of Global Advisory at Evercore Partners and one of the firm’s two most senior investment bankers. Mr. Mestre was Vice Chairman with responsibility for the management of the firm’s U.S. advisory practice from 2004-2011, and prior to joining Evercore in November 2004, was Vice Chairman of Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. and Chairman of its Investment Banking Division. Mr. Mestre was head of investment banking at Salomon Smith Barney and its predecessor firms from 1995-2001 and co-head of Salomon Brothers’ mergers and acquisitions department from 1989-1995..

Since joining Evercore, Mr. Mestre has represented, among others, Ally Financial in its pending restructuring of its mortgage business and in the pending sale of its international operations to Royal Bank of Canada and GM Financial; Clearwire in its pending sale to Sprint; International Paper in its acquisition of Temple Inland and the subsequent sale of certain assets; McGraw-Hill in its pending sale of its education division to Apollo; Lubrizol in its sale to Berkshire Hathaway; Century Link in its acquisition of Qwest; Frontier in its acquisition of Verizon’s rural access lines; ACS in its sale to Xerox; MGM Mirage in its financial restructuring; SBC in its acquisition of AT&T; AT&T in its acquisition of BellSouth; CSX in its proxy contest with activist investors; Cendant in its reorganization and in the sale of its Travelport subsidiary to Blackstone; Realogy in its sale to Apollo; Sequa in its sale to Carlyle; Performance Food Group in its sale to Blackstone and Wellspring; and GM in its sale of GMAC to Cerberus.

Over the years Mr. Mestre has represented many clients in communications, media, defense, aerospace and technology, including Amgen in its acquisition of Immunex; AOL in its merger with Time Warner; Citigroup in its acquisition of Banamex; News Corporation in its acquisition of Hughes; SBC in its acquisitions of AT&T and Ameritech; and Northrop in its mergers with Grumman, Litton and TRW.

Mr. Mestre serves as a member of the Board of the International Rescue Committee. He is past Chairman of the Board of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, one of the nation’s leading cancer, genetics and neuroscience research and educational institutions, and past Chairman of WNYC, New York’s public radio stations. He is also a past trustee of The Taft School. Mr. Mestre currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Avis Budget Group, Inc. and Comcast Corporation. Born in Havana, Mr. Mestre is a 1970 summa cum laude graduate of Yale and a 1973 cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School.

Javier Mora was born in Havana and raised in Caracas, where he completed his degree in Systems Engineering at Universidad Metropolitana Caracas in 1981. He pursued a career in finance and worked for companies such as IBM Venezuela, Banco de Venezuela International Miami, VestcorPartners Caracas, Deutsche Bank Miami, and Guggenheim Partners Miami.

For the past 17 years, Javier has been independently managing investments in global financial markets, real estate, art, and private equity. In addition to his finance career, Javier shares a passion for contemporary art with his wife, Monica.

Javier has visited Cuba many times over the past 15 years and has developed many relationships on the island. He has also worked with a local historian to write a biography of his great grandfather, Don Cosme de la Torriente.

Monica is currently the Director of Special Projects at eMerge Americas, which serves as a catalyst for transforming Miami into the tech hub of the Americas and fostering innovation and entrepreneurship throughout South Florida and Latin America. In 2018, eMerge’s annual conference brought together more than 15,000 attendees from over 400 participating companies and 40 countries. Monica leads the year-round startup programming at eMerge Americas and hosts startup competitions around Latin America and the Southeast US.

Monica holds a bachelor’s degree from Babson College in Business Administration and Entrepreneurship, with concentrations in Human Rights and Global and Regional Studies. She remains a part of her alma mater by serving as an Interview Ambassador for potential students throughout the year. Since 2008, Monica has been a part of Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Children’s Cancer Fund and continues to be an advocate for patients and families undergoing treatment. In her spare time, Monica enjoys traveling and collecting contemporary art.

Andrew Otazo is the former executive director of the Cuba Study Group. He previously worked as a Harvard Business School casewriter and assistant to former Mexican President Felipe Calderón. He also interned at the U.S. State Department’s Office of Andean Affairs. Andrew attended West Point for two years before graduating from the University of Miami with a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree.
Andrew has published over 30 pieces, including business case studies, scholarly articles, white papers, op-eds, and press releases.

Yvette Pita Frampton grew up in Miami, FL as part of a large family of Cuban exiles. As a community leader, she has served as a board member for the Denver Health Foundation (Vice Chair), the Denver Health Volunteer Association Board (President), the Level One Society, the Davidson College Alumni Association Board (Vice President), and the Documentary Cinema Institute. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Davidson College and for Graland Country Day School, where her children are students, as well as the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. She is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Gates Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Aurora, Colorado.

Yvette is an award-winning filmmaker. Her work has screened on PBS and at film festivals, including South by Southwest, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, the HBO Urbanworld Film Festival, and the New York International Latino Film Festival. She has taught film theory, writing, editing, and production at Hollins University, the University of Colorado at Denver, and at the Colorado Film Video Institute at the Community College of Aurora.

She holds a B.A. in English from Davidson College and an M.F.A. in Film Directing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Miguel Ramos is the Managing Partner, President and COO of Precision Point Partners, Inc and has 35 years of business process experience acquiring, building and operating call centers across the United States, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

Carlos A. Saladrigas is chairman of the Cuba Study Group, a board member of Cuba Emprende Foundation, and Chairman of Regis HR Group, a professional employer organization offering a full suite of outsourced human resources services to small and mid-sized businesses. He also serves as a member of the board of directors of Duke Energy. Previously, Saladrigas served as a director of Advance Auto Parts and a member of PepsiCo’s Hispanic Advisory Board. He was a co-founder and CEO of the Vincam Group which, in 1998, was listed as the largest Hispanic-owned company in the United States, and was acquired by ADP in 2000. Saladrigas holds an MBA with honors from Harvard University and a BBA, cum laude, from the University of Miami. Saladrigas was a CPA in Florida. Active in community affairs, he is a former vice chair of the Board of Trustees of the University of Miami, a director of Catholic Charities for the Archdiocese of Miami, and a trustee at Belen Jesuit School. He is a former trustee at the Rhode Island School of Design and Spring Hill College. Currently, he is an Advisor to the Cuban Studies Program at Harvard University and a member of the Inter-American Dialogue.

Adam San Miguel is a social entrepreneur, civic leader, and soldier. As CEO of Cortaditos, Adam owns and operates five Cuban style coffee shops in New Jersey with over 60 employees. Also, as founder and chairman of the Cuban American Alliance for Leadership & Education, a local nonprofit organization recognized as the Nonprofit of the Year by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of NJ in 2020, Adam leads scholarship giving and leadership development programming for over 100 students. Prior to opening Cortaditos, Adam spent over a decade in the technology sector working for Google, Microsoft, and Dell, where his responsibilities covered Enterprise Sales and Technology for Social Impact. Also as civic leader, Adam is a member of the Cuba Study Group, a Miami based non-profit organization aimed at promoting civil society development in Cuba. Also on the international stage, Adam is a member of the Cuba Emprende Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization that supports the Catholic Church of Cuba's Proyecto Cuba Emprende in offering entrepreneurial training and business advisory services to Cuban entrepreneurs. Adam is also a Maritime Enforcement Specialist in the United States Coast Guard reserve. Adam earned a B.A. in finance from Monmouth University, where he also holds the school record for most receptions in a single season as well as career (Football), a B.S in Spanish from New Jersey City University, and an MBA from Fordham University.

Beatriz Sanchez is a Member of the Executive Board and Head Latin America at Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd. Prior to joining Julius Baer in 2017, based in Zurich, Beatriz held successful senior positions in such companies as Goldman Sachs and HSBC.

With over 30 years of leadership experience in managing high and ultra-high net worth clients, various professional sources have recognised Beatriz as one of the most influential executives in Latin American wealth management.

Her commitments to support humanitarian and women's rights have also led her to become an active member of the advisory board of various non-for-profit organizations, including the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security in Washington DC.

Beatriz holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Miami. She is married and has two children.

Mr. Sosa was named executive vice president of Amoco Corporation in 1995 and headed Amoco’s chemicals sector, overseeing worldwide chemical and marketing operations. In 1999, he was named president of BP Amoco Chemicals when the two companies merged. Prior to joining Amoco, he was senior vice president of The Dow Chemical Company and president of Dow North America and a member of Dow board of directors and executive committee. He is a member of the board of directors of FMC Corporation and a member of the board of directors of DSM of The Netherlands.

Alana Tummino is Senior Director of International Social Impact Operations at Sesame Workshop, the global nonprofit behind Sesame Street on a mission to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. In this role, she provides strategic management and operational support for the International Social Impact team, working across three core functions: (1) department strategy (2) process and operations, and (3) Country Office support.

Previously, she served as Sesame Workshop's Senior Director for Strategic Partnerships & Development for Latin America, raising funds and spearheading partnership opportunities to grow the region's social impact and humanitarian programs.

Alana brings over 15 years of experience working with a broad range of public- and private-sector leaders, NGO’s, foundations, and academics, throughout the Western Hemisphere on a range of business and policy issues. She has published policy and opinion pieces in numerous outlets, and has appeared as an expert on CNN, CNN en Español, NPR, BBC, and PBS, among others. Alana most recently served in various roles at AS/COA as Chief of Staff and Senior Director of Policy, and previously with a range of international development organizations on microfinance and women’s economic empowerment.

She received an MA in Economic and Political Development from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), and received her BA in Political Science and Spanish from the George Washington University. Among her awards, she was a Foreign Language and Area Studies fellow for Portuguese and Latin America from U.S. State and Education Departments, a Financial Women’s Association graduate scholar, and an American Association of University Women scholar.

Jordan Valdés is a senior director in APCO Worldwide’s Global Solutions practice and part of the headquarters leadership team. Based in the firm’s Washington office, Ms. Valdés is an international public affairs expert and assists clients on a wide range of issues from international crises to campaigns changing public perceptions.

Ms. Valdés guides a team of global public affairs strategists who have a blended approach to external affairs, focusing on the integration of seamless government affairs strategies with effective communications and media savvy. Ms. Valdés has advised corporates, sovereign governments, trade associations and individuals on their engagements with Congress and the Executive Branch, media, and the think tank communities. Ms. Valdés’s work has resulted in top-tier media placements for her clients, meaningful and lasting partnerships with government agencies, and an advocacy footprint in Congress that have ultimately improved her client’s relationships and reputations.

Prior to joining APCO, Ms. Valdés served as senior vice president for the Podesta Group, where she developed international government relations and strategic communications campaigns. A political appointee in the Obama Administration, Ms. Valdés served as a senior advisor for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of International Trade before joining the Podesta Group. During her time with the administration, she represented the SBA at the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations and developed key messaging and communications for the agency. Ms. Valdés started her career in journalism in the Middle East. She has advised political campaigns from the local to the presidential levels on their foreign affairs and communications strategies.

Ms. Valdés is a graduate of the University of Miami and holds a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. A first-generation Cuban American, she has been named a 40 Under 40 Latinos in American politics. Ms. Valdés is fluent in Spanish and French and trained in Arabic and Italian.

Riqui is an associate financial advisor at PNC Wealth Management in Chicago. He sits on a team of investment advisors and relationship strategists who assist multigenerational families accumulate and manage their wealth. Riqui is also the founder of CHOMP Cancer, a charitable fund benefiting the Palliative Care Program at UF Health/Shands Hospital. Riqui was born and raised in Miami, Florida where he attended Ransom Everglades High School. He went on to receive a B.A. in finance, cum laude, from the University of Florida and is now a Certified Financial Planner and an MBA candidate at the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management.

Charles is a principal in the financial services advisory practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Charles provides management consulting and risk consulting services to large financial institutions, with an emphasis on financial and capital planning, customer profitability analysis, capital adequacy and allocation, and risk analysis. Prior to joining PwC, Charles worked at the Federal Reserve Board, where he helped to analyze systemic risk and capital adequacy at large bank holding companies. Charles is a graduate of Georgetown University and Georgetown Law.

Mary Patrícia Wilkie Ebrahimi is a board member of several QuarkCity India Private Ltd. companies. Her family has been involved in software development, real estate development, construction and related manufacturing in Northern India since 1997. Quark Benevolent emphasizes scholarship grants for girls and young women to encourage their education.

Mrs. Ebrahimi serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. She and her husband collect Persian manuscripts and Iranian art.

Since 2015 she has spent part of each year in Cuba to produce documentaries on Cuban architecture and history. “Viva El Vedado” was released in late 2018 and the five-part series “Colonial Cuba”, covering the colonial architecture and history of the first seven towns founded by Diego Velázquez, will be released in 2022.

Mrs. Ebrahimi was born in Havana and received a B.A. from Hollins University and an M.A. from the University of California at Los Angeles.