Andrew Selee has been the president of the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), a nonpartisan institution that seeks to improve immigration and integration policies, since August 2017. Prior to that, he spent 17 years at the Woodrow Wilson Center, where he founded the center’s Mexico Institute and later served as vice president for programs and executive vice president. He has also worked as staff in the U.S. Congress and on development and migration programs in Tijuana, Mexico with the YMCAs.

Maria Otero served as U.S. undersecretary of state for civilian security, democracy and human rights under Secretary Hillary Clinton from 2009 to 2013. Otero also served as President Barack Obama’s special representative for Tibetan issues. Born in La Paz, Bolivia, Otero was formerly president and chief executive officer of ACCION International, a leader in microfinance and economic development. Previously, Otero was the economist for Latin America at the Women in Development office of the U.S.

Joaquim Levy is the director for economic strategy and market relations at Banco Safra S.A. He has been president of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), managing director and CFO of the World Bank Group, and minister of finance of Brazil. Levy formerly served as chief strategist and CEO of Bradesco Asset Management and as vice president for finance and administration at the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB).

María Isabel León de Céspedes is the president of the Confederación Nacional de Instituciones Empresariales Privadas (CONFIEP). A longtime supporter of continuing education, she is the founder of training centers in commercial aviation, hospitality, and tourism, including the Instituto de Educación Superior Tecnológico Privado. León has served on several boards related to tourism and education, such as the National Council on Education.

Waldo Mendoza Bellido is Peru’s Minister of Economy and Finance. With a long career and an extensive knowledge of public finance, he has served on the board of Peru’s Central Bank and was the chairman of the board of directors at the Economic and Social Research Consortium (Consorcio de Investigación Económica y Social - CIES). Mendoza has held various positions at the Ministry of Economy and Finance including Vice Minister of Finance and director of Economic and Social Affairs.

Ambassador Kevin K. Sullivan was confirmed as US Ambassador to Nicaragua on October 11, 2018. He most recently served as the deputy permanent representative to the United States Mission to the Organization of American States in Washington, DC. Previously, he served as deputy chief of mission/chargé d’affaires in Buenos Aires, Argentina and deputy chief of mission at the United States Embassy in Lilongwe, Malawi.

Spencer Friedman is the regional manager for Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador for Uber. He has extensive experience driving change through technology in companies in across Latin America and the US, as well as in the public sector, NGOs, and start-ups. Having lived in 10 cities in 6 countries, Friedman considers himself a true global citizen. Originally from Boston, he has been based in Lima since 2010. Friedman earned his BA from the University of Pennsylvania and his MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management.  

Rafael Agudo is a managing director and partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) of Lima office and the leader for BCG Business Transformation practice area for Spanish South America. He joined BCG in 2005 and during these 15 years he has served a wide range of public and private companies in America and Europe. Agudo received his master’s in business administration and management from ICADE-Universidad Pontificia Comillas de Madrid and his JD from the same university.

Giovanna Cortez is the general manager for south region in Latin America (Perú, Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Paraguay). She has more than 20 years of experience in the IT market. Cortez worked at Hewlett Packard in several roles within Latin America, from consumer segment to enterprise and with extensive experience in partners ecosystem. In 2014, she joined Microsoft to lead consumer business, then assumed the role of territory manager at LATAM new markets. For the last two years, Cortez has led the enterprise team in south region and has served as Peru country manager.