Region: North and South America
Laura Alonso
Laura Alonso has an extensive and unique cross-sector career promoting democracy, transparency, and citizen participation. She has previously held positions as Head of the Anti-corruption Office in Argentina, twice elected member of the National Congress, and CEO of the domestic chapter of Transparency International. Because of her leadership in integrity and anti-corruption policies, Argentina reached its highest score in the Index of Transparency International in 2020. Laura co-chaired the G20 Anti-corruption Working Group, and she was chief of the official delegation to the OECD Anti-Bribery Working Group. She has been a British Chevening Scholar, an Eisenhower Fellow, a Draper Hills Fellow at Stanford University, and most recently a Regan-Fascell Fellow…
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Jorge Soto
Jorge Soto is the chief technology officer and co-founder of Miroculus, a biotechnology company that seeks to democratize access to complex molecular tests for treatment and prevention of diseases. Jorge founded Miroculus with the vision of reducing the entry barrier in cost, development, complexity, and increasing access to genetic sequencing, synthetic biology, and genetic editing to help advance science and improve lives. Previously, he was Deputy Director General of Civic Innovation at the Coordination of National Digital Strategy of Mexico, where he led strategies and projects that promote citizen participation and innovation in the country through the use of technology. In particular, he was part of the team that developed…
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Martin Inthamoussú
Martin Inthamoussú is a Consultant in Creative Economy and Cultural Public Policy. He is currently working at the Interamerican Development Bank at the Creativity and Culture Unit. He was President of SODRE in Uruguay, the oldest cultural institution in the country dedicated to culture and art promotion, arts education, and growth of traditions, taking its services to the whole country and beyond borders. Within the institution, Martín was commissioned to create the Contemporary Dance Department of the National Dance School, of which he is the founder. He has also developed different programs working on public policy towards access to culture for citizens in the whole country as a means of…
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Lorna Solis
Lorna Solis is Founder & CEO of Elevate, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing continued education at world-leading universities to young women who have either been forced from their homes by conflict or climate change or are working in industries affected by climate change and looking to further education so that they can use every tool possible to stay in their country of origin. Lorna created Project SHEro as an extension of her nonprofit’s work offering scholarships to refugees – including climate refugees. Project SHEro is a global climate activism documentary series that raises awareness not only about challenges but also solutions. It explores issues such as climate adaptation, climate justice,…
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Cristina Vélez Valencia
Cristina Vélez Valencia is currently the Vice president for Public-Private Partnerships of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá and is in charge of programs to foster regional integration and economic development, as well as the Chamber's knowledge management among other programs involving public and private sectors. Until June 2019, she served as the Secretary for Social Integration in the Mayoralty of Bogotá. She oversaw a department with over 9500 employees and a budget in excess of $360 million. The department defines and implements social policy in a city of over 7 million residents and is responsible for comprehensive programs for early childhood, aging populations, homelessness, youth, people with disabilities, and…
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Gavin Sheppard
Gavin Sheppard is an innovative cultural entrepreneur who uses art and music as tools for youth inclusion and economic growth. The Remix Project, which he co-founded in 2006, was created in order to help level the playing field for young people from disadvantaged, marginalized, and under-served communities. The Remix Project provides top-notch alternative, creative, educational programs, facilitators and facilities to at-risk youth wanting to enter the creative industries. This program model has been replicated internationally, and Gavin has been an architect of and has helped to create a hemispheric network of youth arts organizations to promote best practices. Gavin is also Founder of Public Records, Inc., a Toronto-based record label,…
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Joaquín Jácome-Diez
Joaquín Jácome-Diez is a Panamanian lawyer and a senior partner at Jácome & Jácome where he practices international law and foreign direct investment and corporate law. Previously, as Minister of Trade and Industry for the Republic of Panama (1999- 2004), he negotiated on a Free Trade Agreement with the United States and successfully shepherded the first four rounds of talks. During his tenure in office, Joaquín was also responsible for the negotiation of trade agreements with several other Central American countries, as well as Taiwan and Singapore. He led trade delegations to the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia, and represented Panama in international trade negotiations before the World…
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Christine Hogan
Christine Hogan was appointed Canada's Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change on September 30, 2019. Prior to her appointment, she served as Executive Director for Canada, Ireland and the Caribbean, at the World Bank Group (in Washington), from November 2016 to September 2019. From January 2015 to October 2016, Christine was Deputy Minister of International Trade. Between 2010 and 2015, Christine served in the Privy Council Office including as Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister. Throughout her career of more than 30 years, Christine has contributed to a diverse set of public policy issues ranging from international relations and development to trade policy, science and technology,…
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Tali Farhadian Weinstein
Tali Farhadian Weinstein is the General Counsel of the Kings County District Attorney’s Office (Brooklyn). In that capacity, she oversees the office’s Appeals Bureau, Post-Conviction Justice Bureau, Civil Litigation Bureau, and Law Enforcement Accountability Bureau, leads several reform initiatives of the District Attorney’s Justice 2020 plan, and counsels the District Attorney of an agency comprised of 1,200 employees. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Law and Adjunct Professor of Clinical Law at NYU Law School, where she teaches “Criminal Justice Reform and the District Attorney” and was previously a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Center on the Administration of Criminal Law. Tali served in the United States Department of…
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Bryan Eckstein
Bryan Eckstein is Vice President of Project Finance and Business Development at ForeFront Power, a San Francisco-based renewable energy company. He has over a decade of experience developing market-based clean energy solutions, including renewable energy development and finance, corporate energy management, and implementation of market-based climate change programs. Prior to this, he was part of the SunEdison project finance team. He has also consulted in energy, water, and climate change programs for clients including the World Bank, the UNFCCC Secretariat, the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Environment Canada, the New Zealand Ministry of Economic Development, the Australian government, and public utility regulators. He started his career…
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