FORUM ATTENDEES
CHAIRMAN, PODER Philanthropy Forum
Emilio Azcárraga – Chairman and CEO, Grupo Televisa
Mr. Azcarraga is the chairman and CEO of Televisa, the largest media company in Latin America. With
interests in television, radio, and publishing, Televisa is Mexico’s number-one television broadcaster and
holds a majority stake in joint cable venture Cablevision. Its publishing unit, Editorial Televisa, is the lead-
ing producer of Spanish-language magazines. Azcarraga is also a shareholder in Univision, a network
for which Televisa provides most of the content.
PRESIDENT, PODER Philanthropy Forum
Bill Emmott – former Editor in Chief, The Economist (1993 – 2006)
Bill Emmott is the former long-time Editor-in-Chief of The Economist, the most influential weekly news
and international affairs publication in the world. A frequent broadcaster and author of several best-
selling books on Japanese economy, Emmott is also a member of the Trilateral Commission, an orga-
nization geared toward cooperation between Europe, Japan, and North America.
Muhammad Yunus – Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
Lasting peace cannot be achieved unless large population groups find ways to break out of poverty. Micro-
credit is one such way. Economics Professor Muhammad Yunus, is a pioneering developer of micro-credit
lending schemes for the poor, especially women, in Bangladesh. He originated the concept of Grameen
Bank, i.e. banking without collateral for the drastically impoverished. He is the founder and managing direc-
tor of Grameen Bank which currently operates 1,781 branches providing credit to 5.6 million poor people
residing in 60,815 villages in Bangladesh. Professor Muhammad Yunus studied economics in Vanderbilt
University, USA and received his Ph.D. in Economics in 1970. He taught economics in Middle Tennessee
University from 1969 to 1972. Returning to Bangladesh in 1972, he joined the University of Chittagong as
head of their economics department. He started the Grameen Bank Project in 1976. It was transformed into
a formal bank in 1983. Grameen Bank offers small loans for self employment to the rural poor, especially
underprivileged women. Yunus’s long-term vision is to eliminate poverty throghout the world. That vision
cannot be realized by means of micro-credit alone. But Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank have shown
that, in the continuing efforts to achieve it, micro-credit must play a major role.
Dr. Lawrence “Larry” Brilliant – Executive Director, Google.org
Dr. Lawrence “Larry” Brilliant is a medical doctor, epidemiologist, technologist, author, philanthropist, and
the executive director of Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org. Brilliant, a technology patent holder,
has been CEO of two public companies and other venture-backed start-ups. He is best known as one
of the leaders of the successful World Health Organization (WHO) smallpox eradication program.
Haim Saban – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Saban Capital Group, Inc.
Haim Saban is a recognized leader in the entertainment industry as founder of Saban Entertainment and Fox
Family Worldwide. Mr. Saban is a highly recognized philanthropist and political activist, with a main focus
on the U.S./Israeli relationship. Mr. Saban lives in Los Angeles with his wife Cheryl and their four children.
Nicholas Negroponte – Chairman, One Laptop per Child
Negroponte is founder and chairman of the One Laptop per Child non-profit association. He is
currently on leave from MIT, where he was co-founder and director of the MIT Media Laboratory, and
Jerome B. Wiesner professor of media technology. A graduate of MIT, Negroponte was a pioneer in
the field of computer-aided design, and has been a member of the MIT faculty since 1966. Conceived
in 1980, the Media Laboratory opened its doors in 1985. He is also author of the 1995 best seller,
Being Digital, which has been translated into more than 40 languages. In the private sector, Nicholas
serves on the board of directors for Motorola, Inc. and as general partner in a venture capital firm
specializing in digital technologies for information and entertainment. He has provided start-up funds
for more than 40 companies, including Wired magazine.
Philip Bennett – The Washington Post
Philip Bennett is managing editor at The Washington Post. As the second-ranking editor at The Post,
Bennett supervises more than eight hundred journalists in a newsroom that produces one of the country’s
leading daily newspapers and contributes to washingtonpost.com, a website with a large national and
international audience. Before his appointment as managing editor in 2005, Bennett was The Post’s
assistant managing editor for foreign news. He was responsible for the newspaper’s 20 international
bureaus. Under his direction, The Post’s foreign staff won many awards, including two Pulitzer prizes for
international reporting, most recently for coverage of the war in Iraq. Bennett joined The Post in 1997 as a
deputy national editor for coverage of national security, defense and foreign policy. He came to the paper
from The Boston Globe, where he served as foreign correspondent in Latin America and, later, the Globe’s
foreign editor. He has also written for numerous magazines. He started in journalism as a reporter for The
Lima Times in Peru. His first work for The Washington Post was as a stringer from Peru in 1982. Bennett
grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He graduated with a degree in history from Harvard College.
Alberto Ibargüen – President, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Ibargüen is the former publisher of The Miami Herald and of El Nuevo Herald. During his tenure, The Miami
Herald won three Pulitzer Prizes and El Nuevo Herald won Spain’s Ortega y Gasset Prize for excellence
in journalism. He is chairman of the board of the Newseum in Washington, D.C., a museum dedicated
to free speech and free press. He is a member of the board of PepsiCo and of the Council on Foreign
Relations and is on the Trustees’ Council of the National Gallery of Art. Over the years, he has served on
the boards of arts, education and civic organizations, including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts,
the Committee to Protect Journalists, Wesleyan University and Smith College. He served as board chair
of PBS and of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra. He is a former board member of NCL Corporation Ltd.
(Norwegian Cruise Line). For his work to protect journalists in Latin America as part of the Inter American
Press Association, Ibargüen received a Maria Moors Cabot citation from Columbia University, and George
Washington University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Letters.
Justin Rockefeller – Co-founder, Generation Engage
Justin Aldrich Rockefeller is a political activist and co-founder and National Program Director of the
nonprofit nonpartisan organization, Generation Engage. Justin is the youngest son of West Virginia’s
Junior Senator, Jay Rockefeller of the Rockefeller family and his wife, Sharon Percy Rockefeller.
Moisés Naím – Editor-in-Chief, Foreign Policy
As Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Policy, Moisés Naím directs one of the most highly-respected political
and international magazines. Naim is a member of the World Economic Forum’s International Media
Council, board member of the National Endowment for Democracy and Population Action International,
and chairman of the Group of Fifty. He is also the author of the bestseller “Illicit: How Smugglers,
Traffickers and Copycats Are Hijacking the Global Economy.”
George Church – Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School/Director,
Center for Computational Genetics
George Church is professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and director of the Lipper
Center for Computational Genetics. He completed his PhD at Harvard in Biochemistry &
Molecular Biology with Walter Gilbert, developing the first direct genomic sequencing method
in 1984. In that year he helped initiate the Human Genome Project. Dr. Church later helped
found the Stanford, MIT, and Waltham Genome Centers. He invented the broadly applied
concepts of molecular multiplexing and tags, homologous recombination methods, and array
DNA synthesizers. Technology transfer of automated sequencing and annotation software to
Genome Therapeutics Corp. resulted in the first genome sequence sold commercially (the
human pathogen, H. pylori). He is on numerous advisory boards including those of Caliper
Technologies, Genome Pharmaceuticals, Beyond-Genomics and various scientific journals. Dr.
Church’s research focuses on integrating biosystems-modeling with high-throughput data
for haplotypes, RNA arrays, proteomics, and metabolites. The goal is more accurate and
automated genomic biomedical & ecological engineering.
Patrick Soon-Shiong – Chairman and CEO, Abraxis BioScience Inc.
Patrick Soon-Shiong is Chairman and CEO of the global pharmaceutical company Abraxis
BioScience Inc. A noted researcher, physician and surgeon, Soon-Shiong developed and co-
invented the nanoparticle delivery technology upon which the cremophor-free form of paclitaxel
compound known as Abraxane is based. Abraxane won FDA approval in 2005 for treatment of
advanced metastatic breast cancer and is being developed for lung, ovarian, prostate, melanoma,
and head and neck cancers. His research has been recognized by numerous national awards
from such noted organizations as the Association for Academic Surgery, the American College of
Surgeons Schering Award and the Royal College Physicians and Surgeons. Soon-Shiong serves
on the board of directors for the National Institute of Transplantation and on the Technology
Council for the new Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence at Northwestern University.
Norman Pearlstine – the Carlyle Group
Norman Pearlstine joined the Carlyle Group in September, 2006. He is a senior advisor to the private
equity firm’s telecommunications and media group, based in New York. Prior to joining Carlyle, Pearlstine
was a senior advisor to Time Warner Inc. from January 1, 2006. Before that, he served for 11 years
as editor-in-chief of the company’s Time Inc. subsidiary. As editor-in-chief, the fifth in the company’s
history, Pearlstine oversaw the editorial content of Time Inc.’s 154 magazines, including Entertainment
Weekly, Fortune, In Style, Money, People, Real Simple, Sports Illustrated, and Time.
Luis Alberto Moreno – President, Inter-American Development Bank
Prior to joining the IDB, Moreno served as Colombia’s ambassador to the United States for seven
years. Ambassador Moreno oversaw a dramatic improvement in Colombian-U.S. relations during
his tenure in Washington. His most notable achievement was the successful effort to build strong
bipartisan support in the United States Congress for passage of more than US$4 billion in U.S.
assistance programs for Colombia. These resources have contributed to a positive transformation of
the security and economic situation in Colombia. Prior to his post as ambassador, Moreno served a
distinguished career in both the public and private sectors in Colombia.
Anders Gyllenhaal – Executive Editor, The Miami Herald
Anders Gyllenhaal was named executive editor of The Miami Herald in 2007. From 2002 to 2007,
Gyllenhaal was editor and senior vice president at the Star Tribune, Minneapolis-St. Paul. Previously,
he was executive editor and senior vice president of The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C. He joined
The News & Observer in 1991 and worked as metro editor and managing editor before becoming
editor in 1997. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in a small town in Pennsylvania, Gyllenhaal is a
graduate of George Washington University. His first reporting job was at The Daily News Record in
Harrisonburg, VA. Following that, he worked at The Press in Atlantic City, and then The Miami Herald,
where he spent 12 years as a reporter, editor and head of the paper’s Fort Lauderdale office. He is
married to Beverly Mills Gyllenhaal, who writes a weekly cooking column that appears in approximately
115 papers across the U.S. and Canada. A member of the American Society of Newspaper Editors,
he joined the Pulitzer Board in 2001.
Manuel A. Diaz – Mayor, City of Miami
Diaz, now in his second term as mayor of Miami was born in Havana, Cuba and immigrated to the
United States in 1961. His studies took him through Miami’s higher education system where he would
excel in political science and law; today he is a partner at Diaz & O’Naghten, L.L.P. He serves on the
advisory board for the Manhattan Institute’s Center for Civic Innovation, the University of Pennsylvania’s
Institute for Urban Research and the Mayors’ Institute on City Design. Applauded for his revitalization
efforts during both terms, the Manhattan Institute named him Urban Innovator of the Year in 2004.
Viviane Senna – President, Instituto Ayrton Senna
Viviane Senna is President of Instituto Ayrton Senna. She earned a degree in psychology from PUC/
SP – Pontifícia Universidade Católica of São Paulo (Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo), and a
specialist degree in Jungian Psychology from the Instituto Sedes Sapientiaes of the Catholic University.
Carlos Ott – Ott & Associates Architects
Carlos Ott, is a Fulbright Scholar with a Masters in Architecture and Urban Design from Washington
University School of Architecture. His unique architecture style has been recognized in many
countries through major awards such as: “Arts et Lettres” and the “Legion d’Honneur” awarded in
1986 and 1988, respectively, by Francois Mitterand, president of France. Carlos Ott continues to
travel the world and is currently working on prestigious projects in Brazil, Argentina, China, United
Arab Emirates, Uruguay and Canada.
Monica Manzutto and Jose Kuri – Founders, Galería Kurimanzutto
Even though the Mexico City-based gallery Kurimanzutto has only existed for four years it has already
gained considerable recognition in the gallery circuit and the international art world. The quality of the
artwork the gallery shows is unquestionably one reason for its success, the gallery owners’ undying
enthusiasm another. But most of all, it has to do with the distinctive way the gallery operates. Originally
conceived by Gabriel Orozco, Kurimanzutto has no regular and fixed location, no physical space in
which they present their exhibitions. This circumstance makes the gallery uncommonly flexible and
mobile. Kurimanzutto is a nomadic gallery that sets up the projects and exhibitions of their artists in
a diverse range of places, according to their specific needs, indoors and outdoors, in gallery spaces
or the urban area of the city of Mexico and elsewhere. This innovative approach has created intense
interest in the gallery as well as in the roster of young and talented Mexican artists they represent, many
of which have embarked to international careers over the last few years.
Alfonso de Angoitia – Executive Vice President, Grupo Televisa
Alfonso de Angoitia is currently executive vice president of Grupo Televisa, S.A. and has been a member
of the board of directors and the executive committee of the company since 1997. From 1999 to 2003
he occupied the position of chief financial officer. Prior to joining Grupo Televisa, S.A., he was a founding
partner of the law firm of Mijares, Angoitia, Cortés y Fuentes, S.C., one of Mexico’s leading law firms. He
is also a member of the board of directors of, among other companies, Grupo Modelo, the Bolsa Mexicana
de Valores, Empresas Cablevision and Sky. He is a member of Fundación Mexicana para la Salud. For
the last five years, he has been a member of the board of trustees of the American School Foundation.
Ben Silverman – Co-chairman, NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Studio
Ben Silverman is co-chairman, NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Studio, a position to
which he was appointed in May 2007. Prior to joining NBC Universal in an executive role, Silverman, in
March 2002, launched Reveille, a leading independent production and distribution company focusing
on exploiting worldwide intellectual property rights through scripted and alternative television formats.
The company leverages its unique relationships with the world’s top broadcasters and producers to
acquire, produce and distribute innovative entertainment programming across all television genres.
Reveille has been a world leader in creating integrated marketing opportunities for leading advertisers
and developing alternative financing paradigms for the television business.
Eduardo Padron – President, Miami Dade College
Dr. Padron is the president of Miami Dade College (MDC), one of the nation’s largest institutions for higher
education, and has spent more than 30 years championing higher education opportunities. Under Padron’s
leadership, MDC welcomes the largest enrollment of Hispanic students and the second largest enrollment of
black non-Hispanic students in the country. The college ranks first nationally in associate’s degrees awarded
to minorities and is number one in degrees awarded overall. Padron has served on the White House Initiative
on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans; the boards of directors of The College Board, American
Association of Colleges and Universities, American Council on Education, the Carnegie Foundation for the
Advancement of Teaching and was a founding member of the governing board of the Hispanic Association
of Colleges and Universities and the U.S. Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.
Enrique Norten – TEN Arquitectos
Enrique Norten is a Mexican architect and principal of the design firm TEN Arquitectos. He founded
TEN Arquitectos [Taller de Enrique Norten Arquitectos] in 1986, where he is currently principal. The
New York office opened in 2001. He has lectured all over the world and has participated in several
international juries and award committees such as the World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition
in New York City and the Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction. He was recently appointed a
member of Deutsche Bank’s board of trustees, and is a founding member of the advisory board of the
Holcim Foundation. Enrique Norten currently holds the Miller Chair at the University of Pennsylvania,
in Philadelphia. He has held the O´Neal Ford Chair in Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin,
the Lorch Professor of Architecture Chair at the University of Michigan, and the Elliot Noyes Visiting
Design Critic at Harvard University. He was professor of architecture at the Universidad Iberoamericana
in Mexico City (1980-1990) and has served as a visiting professor at Cornell University, Parsons
School of Design, Pratt Institute, Sci-Arc, Rice University, Columbia University and as Eero Saarinen
visiting professor of architectural design at Yale School of Architecture.
Carla Sanger – President and CEO, LA’S BEST
The head of Los Angeles’ BEST, Better Educated Students for Tomorrow, an after-school enrichment
program, Carla Sanger has held this post for 17 years. She has also been a teacher, curriculum writer,
and supervisor of New Jersey’s day care services, president of California Children’s Council and
executive director of Los Angeles Child Care and Development Council.
Cesar L. Alvarez – President and CEO, Greenberg Traurig LLP
Cesar L. Alvarez has been president and CEO of Greenberg Traurig LLP for eight years. The firm has
been recognized as the country’s fastest growing over the last five years and is the eighth largest in
the nation. Previously, Alvarez practiced securities, corporate, and international law for more than 25
years. He has represented numerous public companies and serves on the board of directors of several
publicly-traded corporations and charitable organizations. Alvarez has been recognized nationally and
in his community for his professional, business and charitable leadership.
Eddie “Piolín” Sotelo – Piolin por la Mañana
“Piolin por la Manana” is one of the highest-rated Spanish-language radio programs in the country.
For the Fall 2005 Arbitron ratings book for Los Angeles, California, “Piolin por la Mañana,” which is
broadcast by Univision Radio’s La Nueva 101.9 FM, was ranked number one among Adults 18-34
during morning drive, solidifying its position as the most listened to morning show in the market,
regardless of language. Mr. Sotelo got his start in radio in the late 1990s and has quickly become a
household name among U.S. Hispanics. He is best known for his creativity, charming personality and
dedication to his loyal fans. Mr. Sotelo also makes special guest-appearances regularly on programs
airing on the Univision and TeleFutura Television Networks.
German Efromovich – President, Synergy Group
Bolivian-born Efromovich, the owner of Brazil’s Synergy Group, is building up a successful airline
business in Latin America by rolling up companies across the region.
Jorge Ramos – Anchor, Noticiero Univision
Jorge Ramos has been called “Star newscaster of Hispanic TV” and “Hispanic TV’s No. 1 correspondent”
by The Wall Street Journal. Time magazine included him in their list of “the 25 most influential Hispanics
in the United States,” as did People magazine in 2007. Latino Leaders magazine chose him as one
of “The Ten Most Admired Latinos” and “101 Top Leaders of the Latino Community in the U.S.” Jorge
Ramos has been the anchorman for Noticiero Univision since 1986. Among his many recognitions, he
received the Maria Moors Cabot award from the University of Columbia and has won 8 Emmy awards
for excellence in journalism (including the first one ever presented by the National Academy of Television
Arts and Sciences to honor leaders of Spanish Language Television). He was honored in 2002 with the
“Ruben Salazar” award by the National Council of La Raza for his positive portrayal of Latinos.
Enrique Senior – Managing Partner, Allen and Company
A heralded investment banker, Enrique Senior has been asked to work on some of the most notable
mergers and transactions in recent history including those of such entities as Telemundo, Televisa,
Columbia Pictures, Coca Cola and Sony, among others.
Fabio Villegas – President, Avianca Airlines
Avianca, has moved beyond its base in Colombia to cover more of its home region and the world.
The airline flies to about 40 destinations, half in Colombia and half in other countries (mainly in the
Americas but also in Europe). It operates a fleet of about 35 aircraft. Brazil-based conglomerate
Synergy Group, led by oil magnate German Efromovich, owns a controlling stake in Avianca. (Synergy
also owns a Brazilian regional carrier, Ocean Air, and VIP in Ecuador.) Founded in 1919, Avianca is
one of the oldest airlines in the world.
Maria Elena Salinas – Anchor, Noticiero Univision
Named “The Voice of Hispanic America” by the New York Times, Emmy-award winning anchor Maria
Elena Salinas is the most recognized Hispanic female journalist in the United States. For the past 25
years Salinas has kept millions of Hispanics in the United States and 18 countries in Latin America
informed of current events. As co-anchor for the highly rated “Noticiero Univision,” she has handled
some of the most challenging assignments in journalism today.
Fher Olvera – Lead Singer, Maná
A decades-long presence in the music industry has made band mates Fher Olvera, Juan Diego
Calleros, Sergio Vallín and Alex González household names. The Grammy award-winning band has
been hailed as musical and environmental ambassadors. In September 1995, Maná founded the
nonprofit ecological organization Fundación Ecológica Selva Negra.
Luis G. Nogales – Managing Partner, Nogales Investors
A former White House fellow, Luis G. Nogales has served in many capacities in business and
otherwise. Prior to his current post, he served as president of Nogales Partners, president of
Univision, chairman and CEO of United Press International, among many other posts. Nogales is
also a director of Edison International.
John S. Clarkeson – Chairman Emeritus, the Boston Consulting Group
Mr. Clarkeson will retire this year as co-chairman of the Boston Consulting Group, Inc. (BCG), an
international strategy and general management consulting firm that has helped change the way
many corporations approach competition. Clarkeson joined BCG’s Boston office in 1966 and was
elected vice president and director in 1975. He transferred to Europe in 1971 to help expand the
firm’s practice, serving as a director in Milan and London and opening the Munich office. In 1985, he
was elected president and took on the additional duties of CEO in 1986. He became chairman of the
board in January 1998.
Juan Luis Guerra – Singer, Songwriter, and Self-producer
A Dominican singer, songwriter, and self-producer, Juan Luis Guerra has sold over ten million records
worldwide and has won numerous awards, including ten Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, and two
Latin Billboard Music Awards. He won six Latin Grammy awards in 2007 in the same night and currently
holds the record for most Latin Grammys won in a single night. He is one of the most internationally
recognized Dominican artists in past decades. His pop style of merengue and bolero and Afro-pop/Latin
fusion have garnered him considerable success outside the Dominican Republic. Juan Luis Guerra is
sometimes associated with the popular Dominican music called bachata, and while this association is
partially true, in reality he uses the basics of bachata rhythm with a bolero feel to the melodies in some
of his songs. He does not limit himself to one style of music, so he incorporates diverse rhythms like
merengue, bolero-bachata, balada, rock & roll, and gospel. “Ojalá que llueva café” is one of his most
critically acclaimed self-written and composed pieces.
Roberto Hernandez – President, Grupo Financiero Banamex
Roberto Hernandez is a former CEO of Banco Nacional de México (Banamex), Mexico’s second largest
bank, just after the Spanish BBVA Bancomer. Hernández received a bachelor’s degree in business
administration from the Ibero-American University (1964), co-founded Acciones y Valores de México
(Accival) in 1971 and bought Banamex 20 years later. He sold it to Citigroup in 2001 for $12.5 billion
and stayed on as board member. He is the chairman of the board of Banco Nacional de Mexico and
member of the boards of Citigroup, GRUMA, S.A. de C.V. and Grupo Televisa, S.A.
Timothy Marquez – Chairman and CEO, Venoco, Inc.
Tim Marquez founded Marquez Energy in October 2002. He previously served as co-founder, chairman
and CEO of Venoco, Inc., one of the top 50 independent oil companies in the United States, and
resumed his position there in June 2004. He and his partner founded Venoco in 1992 to identify, acquire,
and operate underdeveloped oil and gas properties throughout the United States and Latin America.
Prior to founding Venoco, Tim spent 13 years with Unocal serving as an engineer and manager in
both California and the North Sea. He has served on the boards of the Santa Barbara City College,
Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, and Partners
in Education as well as being a member of the Fighting Back Advisory Council, the Hispanic Business
Council, the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers, and the
Gervitz Graduate School of Education Dean’s Council. Tim graduated from the Colorado School of the
Mines with a degree in Petroleum Engineering. He and his family currently live in Denver, CO.
Agustín Carstens – Finance and Public Credit Secretariat (SHCP)
Carstens obtained a BA in Economics from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM)
and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago. In the work sphere, he was linked to the
financial sector from 1980 to 2000, holding several posts within Banco de México, such as director of
economic research, treasurer and coordinator of the Governor’s advisors. In December 2000, he was
appointed Secretary for Finance and Public Credit, a post he held until August 2003, when he joined the
International Monetary Fund as assistant managing director. Since October 16 2006, he has served as
economic coordinator of the Transition Team of President Elect, Felipe Calderón Hinojosa.
Ana Veneman – Executive Director, UNICEF
Born and raised in Modesto, CA Ana Margaret Veneman served as staff attorney for the Bay Area
Rapid Transit District in Oakland, CA and Deputy Public Defender in Modesto, CA, before joining the
U.S. Department of Agriculture. There, she has served as Associate Administrator for the Foreign
Agricultural Service, Deputy Undersecretary of Agriculture for International Affairs and Commodity
Programs, Deputy Secretary, and was appointed Secretary of Agriculture by President George W. Bush
in 2005, becoming the first woman in U.S. history to take this seat. Veneman has received numerous
awards and distinctions throughout her career, including the Outstanding Woman in International Trade
award, the Food Research and Action Center award, and the Agriculturist of the Year award, to name
a few. She is currently a board member of a non-profit organization against malaria, called Malaria No
More. Her primary focus as Executive Director for UNICEF are the Millennium Development Goals,
eight goals adopted by 189 UN member states which focus on eliminating hunger, poverty, terminal
diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, and gender equality.
Claudio X. Gonzalez, Jr. – President, Fundacion Televisa
Claudio X. Gonzalez Jr. studied law at the Escuela Libre del Derecho, one of the most presigious law
schools in Mexico, before obtaining a Master’s degree and then a Doctorate at the Fletcher School of Law
and Diplomacy in Boston. Moving back to Mexico, Gonzalez worked for the Department of Agriculture
where he contributed to the modification of the article on agricultural law in Mexico’s constitution. Before
joining Fundacion Televisa, Gonzalez also worked in the campaigns of such recognized politicians as
Carlos Salinas de Gortari, Ernesto Zedillo, and Francisco Labastida Ochoa.
Diego Luna – Actor/Partner, Canana Films
Best known for his role in Mexican soap opera, El abuelo y yo, and for his staring role in Pedro Almodovar’s Y
tu mamá también, Diego Luna has evolved from an accomplished actor to part owner of his own production
company along with childhood friend and fellow actor, Gael García and Pablo Cruz. Founded in 2005,
Canana Films has produced such eclectic and introspective films as El violin, Los Caídos and Ruta 32.
Monica Lozano – Publisher, La Opinion
Her position as publisher of the most widely read Spanish language publication in the U.S. is but one
of Monica Lozano’s numerous posts. Lozano currently serves on the board of directors of Bank of
America, the California Healthcare Foundation, Disney, Tenet Healthcare, the Weingart Foundation,
and the California State Board of Education. She is senior vice president and publisher of ImpreMedia
and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Fernando Landeros – President, Teletón Foundation (Mexico)
Ever the consummate humanitarian, in addition to the Teletón Foundation, a yearly, televised
fundraiser benefiting physically challenged children, Landeros is the founder and head of the three
other most important charitable organizations in Mexico: México Unído, Lazos, and Gente Nueva,
among others. The Teletón Foundation, whose televised event features some of the nation’s most
recognized media personalities, has consistently surpassed their fundraising goals over the years.
As a result, several rehabilitation centers for physically disadvantaged children caused by illness,
birth defect, or accident have been built and are up and running. More recently, rehabilitation centers
were opened in Ciudad Nezahualcóyotol and Quintana Roo. Due to the unsurpassed success of his
various charitable organizations and campaigns, Fernando Landeros is recognized as one of the
most prolific philanthropist in Mexico.
Joel Simon – Executive Director, Committee to Protect Journalists
Having obtained a master’s degree in Latin American studies from Stanford University, Joel Simon has
had extensive experience covering a wide range of Latin American issues. Before becoming executive
director of CPJ in 2006, Simon worked as a Latin American-based writer, photographer, and editor for
several U.S. publications. He mostly covered political and economic issues ranging from Guatemala’s
civil war to the debate over the North American Free Trade Agreement to the Mexican peso devaluation.
In 1997, Simon wrote a book on Mexico’s diminishing environment titled, Endangered Mexico: An
Environment on the Edge. He has held his current position at CPJ since July 2006.
Mario Luis Kreutzberger a.k.a. Don Francisco – Host, Sábado Gigante
Chilean-born Kreutzberger’s artistic name is Don Francisco in the popular variety show, Sábado
Gigante. Kreutzberger is the recipient of various industry awards and recognitions; incuding a
star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a Gabriela Mistral Order of Merit awarded by the Chilean
government, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004. A recipient of a special Emmy award
for his contributions to the advancement of Spanish-language television, Kreutzberger is also
considered the second most powerful Latino by TV Guide en Español and has been featured in
numerous, highly recognized publications and television programs, including the New York Times,
the Miami Herald and “Good Morning America.”
Ricky Martin – President, the Ricky Martin Foundation / Goodwill Ambassador, UNICEF
Puerto Rican-born Ricky Martin was poised for stardom since childhood. As part of the wildly popular
band Menudo Martin toured The Americas from an early age. Doing so opened his eyes to the reality
that many children experience in Latin America, an aspect that has guided his humanitarian work
since. Today, with a successful career as a soloist, the five-time Grammy winner remains committed
to advocating the rights of children. Towards this goal he established the Ricky Martin Foundation in
San Juan, Puerto Rico and has been appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. He has also been
awarded several other distinctions, including recognition as an outstanding artist philanthropist by
the Hispanic Heritage Awards, the International Humanitarian Award, the Person of the Year award
by the Latin Grammy Recording Academy, and he was named an international hero by the State
Department in 2005, to name a few.
Sharon Fastlicht – Fundacion Televisa
Wife of media tycoon, Emilio Azcarraga, Fastlicht is currently heading Mexico’s “Hazlo ahora, hazlo
siempre” (Do it now, do it always) campaign, whose goal is to help handicapped people integrate fully
into society. She is the former adjunct editor of Pink magazine and former reporter for a magazine on
Mexican cinema. Fastlicht’s family is heavily involved in Mexican cinema. Her brother, Adolfo is one of
the founders of the movie multiplex chain, Cinemex, and her sisters Michaelle y Leslie run Cinemania, a
magazine on Mexican cinema for which Fastlicht herself once worked for as New York correspondent.
Pat Mitchell – President and CEO, the Paley Center for Media
Under Mitchell’s leadership, the Paley Center (formerly The Museum of Television & Radio) has become a
major convener for media leaders and enthusiasts, continuing to offer its unrivaled collection of radio, television
and advertising content as a lens for exploring the powerful impact of media on our lives, culture and society.
Prior to coming to the Paley Center, Mitchell was the president and CEO of the Public Broadcasting Service
(PBS), the first woman to hold that position. Throughout a three decade career in television, Ms Mitchell’s
work, both on camera and as a producer, has focused on media as an agent for positive social change.
Her work has received 44 Emmy Awards, five Peabody’s, and two Academy Award nominations. From
her various positions as White House correspondent to NBC’s TODAY to President of Ted Turner’s original
programming division, Mitchell reported and produced groundbreaking programming that took her from
the front lines of war (“Women and War”) to interviewing world leaders for the 24 hour documentary series,
“COLD WAR” for which she was also the co Executive Producer. In addition to her accomplishments both
on and off the screen, Mitchell serves as a dedicated member of numerous nonprofit boards, among which
are the Sundance Institute, the Mayo Clinic Foundation, Human Rights Watch, and the Council on Foreign
Relations. She is also a member of the corporate boards of Bank of America and Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Teresa Rodríguez – Principal and Co-Host, Aquí y Ahora (Univision)
In addition to hosting Aquí y Ahora, an Emmy-award winning newsmagazine series where she also
serves as executive producer, Teresa Rodriguez is also the host of Noticiero Univision’s Primer Plano, a
comprehensive news report on noteworthy national or international issues affecting Hispanics. Rodriguez
has worked with Univision since 1982 where she became the “first woman ever to host a national primetime
Spanish-language newscast.” Impassioned by the welfare of her community, Rodriguez has hosted a series
of award-winning specials spotlighting the issues affecting Hispanics in the U.S. today, and has hosted an
AIDS awareness special providing helpful information about AIDS in both English and Spanish.
Jorge Hierro – Executive Director, International and Institutional Relations, Banamex
Jorge Hierro is president of the Communications and Marketing Commission of the Association of Banks
in Mexico and executive director for International and Institutional Relations of Financial Group Citicorp/
Banamex. Previously, Hierro was financial director for Consumer’s Banking in Latin America for Citibank,
and deputy director general of the Financial Group Banamex-Accival responsible for financial planning.
He has been professor of economics and finance at the ESADE in Barcelona, Spain, and has taught at
both the economics department and business school at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Hierro earned his bachelor’s in economics at
the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM), and is a PhD candidate in economics at MIT.
Juan Carlos Botero – Writer/Novelist
Columbia native Juan Carlos Botero studied literature in three prestigious universities: University of the
Andes, Harvard University and Javeriana University in Bogota, where he developed a new method of
studying a novelist’s formation process. An accomplished writer, Botero won the Premio Juan Rulfo de
Cuento award in 1986. In 1990, he was the winner of the 19th Annual Latin-American Story Contest
in Mexico. He has written for La Prensa, El Tiempo, and El Espectador. His first book, Las semillas del
tiempo: epífanos, was a best-seller in Columbia. His first novel, La sentencia, published in 2002, has
been translated into German and will soon be made into a movie.
Pedro Ibañez Santa Maria – Vice President, Adolfo Ibañez University
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