José F. Alonso is a retired U.S. Government official; he is currently affiliated with the Adult Education Program at Montgomery College, Rockville, Maryland.
Larry Catá Backer is W. Richard and Mary Eshelman Faculty Scholar, Professor of Law and International Affairs at the Pennsylvania State University. He teaches and researches principally in the areas of economic globalization, international affairs, global governance, and Party-State systems, including China and Cuba. He teaches courses on corporations, including multinational corporations, international institutions, law and religion and constitutional law. He has lectured in South America, Europe and China. He is a member of the American Law Institute, the European Corporate Governance Institute, the European China Law Studies Association and serves on the editorial board of Business and Human Rights Journal (Cambridge University Press). His work on Cuba includes Cuban corporations and cooperatives, Cuban regional trade policies, the governance strictures of the Cuban Communist Party, and the indigenization of Cuban ethnicity.
Roger R. Betancourt received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin in 1970, joined the Faculty at Maryland in 1969 and became Emeritus Professor in 2007. His most prominent service contributions to the Maryland Economics Department were through Ph. dissertation advising (first recipient in Economics of the Mentorship Award from the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences in 2006). A Dissertation Fellowship in Applied Economics in his honor endowed by his former students was first awarded 2010–2011. His most prominent service contributions to ASCE are: one of its founders and its First President, 1990–1992; continued participation in its committee activities to the present. His research contributions in Economics lie in three broad topic areas. With respect to production, a summary of his long term contributions is available in “Capital Utilization” [entry in S. Durlauf and L. Blume (eds.) The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics, 2nd edition, The Macmillan Press, 2008]. With respect to retailing and distribution, a recent overview of his contributions is available in “Distribution Services, Technological Change and the Evolution of Retailing in the Twenty-First Century” [Ch. 4 in E. Basker (editor), Handbook on the Economics of Retailing and Distribution, Edward Elgar Publishing, Ltd., 2016]. With respect to institutions and development, an illustration of his contributions is provided by “Unbundling Democracy: Political Rights and Civil Liberties” [(with A. BenYishay), Journal of Comparative Economics, August 2014]. With respect to applications of the new institutional economics to Cuba, his contributions are available in ASCE’s Papers and Proceedings [Cuba in Transition, Volumes 1–2, 79, 11, 15, 17–20, 22–24, 26].
Pablo Boorsma Mendoza has a master’s degree in International Relations from Utrecht University and a master’s degree in Global & Colonial History from Leiden University, both in The Netherlands. After finishing an internship for the embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands in Cuba, he is currently looking for new challenges.
Joanna Columbié Grave de Peralta, Graduada de Master en Ciencias de la Educación (Camagüey, 2008). Licenciada en Historia y Filosofía (Camagüey, 2013), Licenciada en Estudios Bíblicos y Teológicos (Miami, 2014). Es actualmente la Secretaria de Superación y Proyectos del Movimiento Político Somos +, directora de la Academia 1010 y miembro de su Consejo Nacional, además de Secretaria Adjunta de Relaciones Internacionales de la Mesa de Unidad y Acción Democrática (MUAD)
Hernán Cortés A. has over 31 years’ experience in the water and waste water industry with focus on Latin America. Hernán has vast experience in Sales, Project Management and Services. He has spent the last 10 years with Leopold, a xylem brand, in different positions: Engineering Manager, Global Project Manager, Latin American Region (LAR) Manager, and Sales Manager, being previously employed in main companies of the rubric. Currently, he is the Applications & Sales Sr. Engineer for LAR. He holds a BS in Mechanical Civil Engineering from the Universidad de Chile.
Reinaldo Emilio Cosano Alén. Graduado en Filología en la Universidad de La Habana. Trabajó como corrector de estilo en varias publicaciones y fue profesor de Literatura y Español en la enseñanza media superior por más de veinte años con buenas calificaciones, lo que nada importó al gobierno para separarlo del trabajo sin jubilación alguna por ser disidente politico. Cumplió un año de presidio político como trabajo correccional. Es periodista independiente por más de tres décadas, con publicaciones en diferentes medios. Reside en La Habana.
Tomas Depestre holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering from the Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de las Villas, in Santa Clara, Cuba.
Sergio Díaz-Briquets is a Northern Virginia-based international consultant focusing on governance issues.
Gabriel DiBella is the International Monetary Fund’s Resident Representative in the Russian Federation. Previously he was a deputy division chief in the IMF’s Western Hemisphere Department, senior desk economist for the U.S. and other emerging and low-income economies, as well as Resident Representative in Nicaragua. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Laritza Diversent, Abogada graduada en la Universidad de la Habana. Directora Ejecutiva del Centro de Información Legal “Cubalex”, desde su fundación en diciembre de 2010, en La Habana, Cuba, en donde trabajó durante 6 años ofreciendo asesoría legal gratuita. Actualmente la mayoría de los miembros de la organización se encuentran refugiados en los Estados Unidos.
Julio Cesar Fariñas Pérez, Licenciado en Economía, Universidad de La Habana, fue profesor en la Universidad Central Marta Abreu de Las Villas hasta su expulsión en mayo de 2017 por razones políticas. Es Director del Instituto Cubano de Economía Aplicada para una Transición Democrática, miembro del Consejo Científico de la Fundación de Estudios Políticos y de Alternativas para la Transición Democrática de Cuba y Director del Proyecto Emprende con Ciencia, apoyado por la ONG checa “People in Need” para facilitar conocimiento científicos al sector no estatal cubano, particularmente a los trabajadores por cuenta propia.
Gabriel A. Ferrer is a Cuban-American engineer, real estate developer, sport airplane builder and pilot who returned to Cuba after more than a 50 year absence. He now travels to Cuba on a regular basis to install water disinfection systems in Cuban churches and to help the Cuban Aviation Club start a flight school in the city of Varadero.
John Geibel is a Senior Product Engineer for Leopold, a xylem brand. John received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University in 1975. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania. John has been with the company for over 39 years and has had several product and engineering positions with Leopold relating to filtration and clarification products. He has been granted several patents related to filtration products. He is a member of the American Water Works Association and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Thomas M. Getting, P. E., BCEE, has over 45 years experience in the water and wastewater industry, being previously employed by several consulting engineering firms as well as equipment manufacturers. Tom received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh in 1972. He is a registered Professional Engineer in five states, a member of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers, and of the AWWA B100 Standard Committee for Filtering Material. Tom has been with Leopold, a xylem brand for over 25 years and is currently the Principal Engineer-Filtration.
Olimpia Gómez holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering from the University of La Habana. She was a member of the Cuban Academy of Sciences from 2004–2011.
Mario González-Corzo is Associate Professor, Department of Economics and Business, Lehman College of The City University of New York (CUNY)
Yvon Grenier is Professor of Political Science at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Canada. He is the author of Culture and the Cuban State: Participation, Recognition, and Dissonance under Communism (2017), Gunshots at the Fiesta: Literature and Politics in Latin America (with Maarten Van Delden, 2009), From Art to Politics: Octavio Paz and the Pursuit of Freedom (2001; Spanish trans. 2004), The Emergence of Insurgency in El Salvador (1999) and Guerre et pouvoir au Salvador (1994). He edited (selection of texts and introduction) a book of political essays by the Mexican Nobel Laureate Octavio Paz, entitled Sueño en libertad, escritos políticos (2001). Professor Grenier is a former editor of the Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies and contributing editor of the magazine Literal, Latin American Voices.
Vadim Grishin, PhD, MBA, has been involved in the reform process in Russia and has extensive experience working with the Bretton Woods Institutions. Currently, he is a consultant to the International Finance Corporation and teaches the economics of transition at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
Ernesto Hernández-Catá received his License in Political Science from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, and his Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University. He spent most of his career at the International Monetary Fund where he served as Associate Director of the African and the Western Hemisphere Departments; manager of the World Economic Outlook; and chief negotiator with the Russian Federation. He was also chairman of the Investment Committee of the Staff Retirement Plan. At various times he taught at the Latin American Program in Applied Economics of The American University (macroeconomics) and at the School of Advanced International Studies of the John Hopkins University (economic development).
Yoandy Izquierdo Toledo es Licenciado en Microbiología. Máster en Bioética por la Universidad Católica de Valencia y el Centro de Bioética Juan Pablo II. Miembro del Consejo directivo del Centro de Estudios Convivencia y del Consejo de Redacción de la revista Convivencia (www.centroconvivencia.org). Responsable de Ediciones Convivencia. Reside y trabaja en Pinar del Río, Cuba.
Luis R. Luis is an international economist in Massachusetts specializing in international finance and involvement. He has long been involved in international finance and investments as an officer of international organizations, commercial banks and investment management companies. Luis is a member of ASCE since its foundation. He holds a PhD degree in economics from the University of Notre Dame.
Gary Maybarduk served as the Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana 1997–1999. He was the chairman of the economic working group and wrote most of the economic section of the report of President Bush’s Commission on Assistance to a Free Cuba. He has been writing on the Cuban economy and U.S. policy for 20 years.
Carmelo Mesa-Lago is Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Economics and Latin American Studies at the University of Pittsburgh.
William A. Messina, Jr. is an agricultural economist in the Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS).
Emilio Morales es el CEO y presidente de la compañía consultora The Havana Consulting Group LLC, radicada en Miami. Es el autor de los libros Cuba: ¿Tránsito silencioso al capitalismo? y Marketing without Advertising: Brand Preference and Consumer Choice in Cuba y de numerosos artículos relacionados con la economía cubana. Anteriormente fue el jefe del Departamento de Planificación Estratégica de Marketing de la Dirección de Mercadotecnia de la Corporación CIMEX S.A. la empresa cubana más grande en el comercio mayorista y minorista en Cuba, la cual factura más de 1,000 millones de dólares anuales y atiende más de 35 líneas de negocios. Es graduado en Ingeniería en Ciencias de la Computación en el Instituto Superior Politécnico José Antonio Echevarría en La Habana, y tiene un Masters en Marketing y Comunicación de la Escuela Superior de Marketing de Madrid y otro Masters en Marketing y Comunicación de la Universidad de La Habana.
Ambassador Martin Palous is a Senior Fellow at Florida International University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), and Director of SIPA’s Václav Havel Center for Human Rights and Diplomacy initiative.
Jorge F. Pérez-López is an international economist residing in Falls Church, Virginia. He received a Ph.D. in Economics from the State University of New York at Albany.
Omar Everleny Pérez Villanueva. Doctor en Ciencias Económicas en la Universidad de la Habana desde 1998, Master en Economía y Política Internacional en el CIDE, México, Distrito Federal, desde 1990, Licenciado en Economía en la Universidad de la Habana en 1984. Profesor Titular. Ex Director del Centro de Estudios de la Economía Cubana de la Universidad de la Habana. Ha impartido más de 300 conferencias en distintos centros cubanos y en el extranjero destacándose las ofrecidas en Estados Unidos, Japón, Francia, Canadá, España, Brasil, Puerto Rico, México, República Dominicana, Venezuela, China, Malasia, Argentina, Perú, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad y Tobago, Colombia, Noruega, Costa Rica, Chile, entre otros. Ha sido profesor invitado en Universidades de USA, Japón y Francia. Ha asistido a más de 120 eventos internacionales tanto en Cuba como en el exterior. Ha realizado más de 79 trabajos de investigación en distintas áreas de la economía cubana y en la economía internacional. Ha publicado más de 80 artículos en revistas y ha sido coautor de varios libros, tanto en Cuba como en el extranjero, destacándose los publicados con la Universidad de
Harvard, Universidad de Columbia, Universidad de New York, Universidad Sorbonne, Paris 3, Instituto de Países en Desarrollo (IDE-JETRO) Japón, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, y la Universidad de la Habana, entre otros.
Mayte Piñón holds Bachelor of Science (Biology), Master of Science (Biology) and Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences from the University of La Habana.
Enrique S. Pumar is Fay Boyle Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California.
Erik Reyes Gómez es ciudadano cubano. Estudió ingeniería mecánica, con Maestría en Computación Aplicada al Diseño/Computación Aplicada a la Mecánica por la Universidad de Holguín, Cuba, donde labora como profesor asistente en la rama del transporte terrestre.
Buenaventura Rubén Rigol Cardona es ciudadano cubano-español. Estudió ingeniería mecánica, con Maestría en Matemática Aplicada e Informática para la Administración por la Universidad de Holguín, Cuba, donde labora como profesor auxiliar en la rama del transporte terrestre. Es Doctorante en Ciencias Técnicas. Fundó el Centro de Estudios de Políticas Alternativas para la Transición Democrática (CEPATD), organización sin fines de lucro que no reconoce el Estado cubano y se orienta a buscar soluciones para la situación actual en Cuba, del que es actualmente su Coordinador oriental. Ha participado en eventos organizados por la Fundación Konrad Adenauer (Méjico D. F.) y la Universidad Internacional de la Florida (Miami). Fue becario de la Fundación James Madison en la Universidad Georgetown, Washington D. C. Desarrolla proyectos relacionados con la sociedad civil cubana. Sus intereses profesionales son: juventud y cultura cubanas, políticas públicas, combustibles alternativos, relaciones Cuba-Estados Unidos de América, y justicia transicional.
Rafael Romeu is President and CEO of DevTech Systems, Inc., in Arlington, Virginia. He was formerly a Senior Economist at the International Monetary Fund. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Maryland.
Juan Tomás Sánchez graduated as a civil engineer from the University of Miami, Coral Gables. He is a Registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) in the State of Florida. He lives and practices in Coral Gables, Florida. He has worked for national and multinational pharmaceutical and engineering companies in the areas of design and project management of capital projects. He also represents the Association of Sugar Cane Growers of Cuba, since being designated to such post in 1998 by those elected in the last Association’s democratic election in Cuba in 1960. He has contributed several articles to Cuba in Transition volumes on topics such as issues affecting Cuba’s sugar industry, the future reconstruction of the Cuban sugar industry, globalization of sugarcane production and gasohol production, property claims against Cuba and methods to address them, approaches to improve agricultural productivity regarding several commodities, including sugar, and commentary on the report of the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba.
Nicolás Sánchez (Ph.D. University of Southern California, 1972). He is currently Professor Emeritus, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA; and he resides in Ft Lauderdale, FL. His areas of expertise are property rights and economic development, but his more recent writings also involve economic history and politics—having served both in elective office and appointed town committees.
Helena Solo-Gabriele is a Professor and Associate Dean for Research within the College of Engineering at the University of Miami, where she teaches courses in environmental engineering including courses in environmental measurements, water treatment plant design, and engineered systems to prevent disease transmission. Her research has focused on evaluating the relationships between environmental contamination and human health. Her interest in Cuba issues focus on infrastructure needs, in particular needs for preserving the Cuban environment and improving the water and wastewater infrastructure for its urban populations. Dr. Helena Solo-Gabriele has presented several lectures at the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy Conference (ASCE). She has coordinated numerous workshops and student competitions focused on Cuba’s infrastructure needs through the Association of Cuban American Engineers (ACEA). She has served on the Board of the ACAE since 2004 and served as its President from 2012 to 2014. Dr. Helena Solo-Gabriele has served on the Board of ASCE since 2012 and as Secretary from 2014–2016, and as President from 2016–2018.
Paolo Spadoni is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia.
Joseph B. Treaster is a professor, journalist and author at the University of Miami. He worked as a prize-winning foreign correspondent and reporter for The New York Times for more than 30 years before joining the university in 2008 in a five-year appointment as the Knight Chair in Cross-Cultural Communication. He has the rank of full professor at the University of Miami. Professor Treaster has worked in more than 100 countries covering wars, coups, natural disasters, politics, poverty, the environment and social justice. He has conducted journalism workshops in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. He is a specialist on the environment, especially water, and on international affairs. He has written three books and written on international issues for The Atlantic, Harper’s, RollingStone and other national magazines. He contributes to The New York Times and other mainstream and academic publications.
Soren Triff, especialista en medios de comunicación y activista de la sociedad civil, enseña español y culturas hispánicas en Bristol Community College, Massachusetts, donde además dirige un programa de traductores e intérpretes. Su interés investigativo se encuentra en la intersección de los estudios culturales cognoscitivos (y las humanidades digitales) y la prosa argumentativa hispánica (ensayo-periodismo/documental fílmico) de sociedades en conflicto. Triff ha sido distinguido como “extraordinary Latino educator” por el gobernador de Massachusetts.
Dagoberto Valdés Hernández es Ingeniero agrónomo. Premios “Jan Karski al Valor y la Compasión” 2004, “Tolerancia Plus” 2007, A la Perseverancia “Nuestra Voz” 2011 y Premio Patmos 2017. Dirigió el Centro Cívico y la revista Vitral desde su fundación en 1993 hasta 2007. Fue miembro del Pontificio Consejo “Justicia y Paz” del Vaticano desde 1999 hasta 2006. Trabajó castigado como yagüero (recolector de hojas de palma real) durante 10 años. Es miembro fundador del Consejo de Redacción de Convivencia y Director del Centro de Estudios Convivencia (www.centroconvivencia.org).Vive y trabaja en Pinar del Río, Cuba.
Mainor Vega is Latin America Region Manager for Leopold, a xylem brand. Mainor has over 27 years in the water treatment industry, with over 21 years focusing in desalination water treatment technologies. Mainor is currently leading treatment business development efforts in Northern Latin America for all xylem treatment brands. Previously Mainor was Latin America Business Development Manager for Leopold. Mainor has been with xylem for 22 years executing various sales functions.
Fred Viera was born and raised in Miami. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Miami as a finance major. Fred earned his Juris Doctor and a Masters in Real Estate & Urban Analysis from the University of Florida. He also holds an M.B.A. degree from the University of Virginia where he attended on a fellowship and earned a concentration in entrepreneurship. He is admitted to practice law in Florida and Washington, D.C. Currently, Fred is a founding shareholder of the Viera|Yague Law Firm, in Miami, FL. He is experienced in various practice areas, including real estate transactions and litigation, corporate law, complex business litigation, and general commercial practice. He has litigated numerous cases in state and federal courts throughout Florida.
Janet L. Walsh is the CEO and President of Birchtree Global, LLC. Birchtree Global provides the legal, financial, tax, and human capital infrastructure for globalizing businesses. Her area of expertise lies in global startups, finance, infrastructure, and human capital performance. She has worked on the ground in 79 countries directing multi-functional teams of legal, financial, tax, and HR professionals in a wide variety of industries. Prior to working as CEO and President of Birchtree Global, Dr. Walsh worked in vice-president and senior executive positions in Fortune 500, global multinationals. She is an adjunct professor of global business in MBA programs at the New York Institute of Technology, and Manhattanville College in New York. Dr. Walsh holds a BA degree in Economics from Bucknell University, an MBA from Loyola University, and a DBA from the University of Phoenix. She speaks Spanish, French, and Japanese. She is a dual citizen of Ireland and the United States.
Robert Wiley is the Principal Engineer for Leopold’s clarification product line for Leopold, a xylem brand. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Grove City College. He has spent the past 14 years with the company in multiple engineering roles, spanning from R&D, project engineering, commissioning, and process design of municipal water and wastewater systems. He led the process application of Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) combined with gravity media filtration for RO pretreatment to combat Harmful Algal Blooms in open intake desalination facilities and was responsible for the commissioning of the first DAF system in commercial operation on the Arabian Gulf.
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