Friday, April 22

 

Plenary Panel A: Policy Options for Fiscal Crisis

Antonio Weiss, Counselor to the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury

Juan González, Columnist for the New York Daily News

Dennis Rivera, Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

Moderator: Gretchen Sierra-Zorita, National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts

 

Concurrent Panels

 

1.  Unfolding Humanitarian Crisis

Dr. José Caraballo Cueto, Director, Centro de Información Censal, UPR-Cayey

Ana María García Blanco, Instituto Nueva Escuela (PR)

Rev. Heriberto Martínez, Coordinator, Coalición Por la Salud (PR)

Moderator: Dr. Héctor Cordero-Guzmán, Sociologist, Baruch College
 

2. Energy and the Environment

Ruth Santiago, Esq., Legal Counsel, El Puente (PR)

Ingrid M. Vila Biaggi, Former Chief of Staff, Engineer, President Cambio

Dr. Efraín O'Neill-Carrillo, UPR

Moderator: Brenda Torres Barreto, Assistant Secretary for the Environment, New York State

 

3. Economic Development

Jorge Rodríguez, Principal, PACIV (NY, PR)

Mariela Martínez, Senior Project Manager, Global Cities Initiative, Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, Board Member, Cenadores PR

Bianca M. Cabán, CEO, Taino Capital LLC (NY & PR)
 

4. Models for Diaspora Engagement with Puerto Rico

Edwin Vargas, Semillas (CA)

Ramphis Castro, ScienceVest (NY)

Dyanis de Jesús, Puerto Rico Creative Economy Initiative (PRCEI)

Moderator: Michelle Pérez Kenderish, ChicaPReneurs (NY, PR)

 

5. Foundations Responses to the Economic Crisis in Puerto Rico

José A. García, Program Officer, Surdna Foundation (NY)

Larry Shapiro, Associate Director for Program Development, Rockefeller Family Fund (NY)

Moderator: Karina Claudio-Betancourt, Program Officer, Open Society Foundations (NY)

 

Plenary Panel B: Local and State Perspective

Introduction: Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, Senior Adviser to the President, Hunter College

New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito

Illinois State Senator Iris Y. Martínez

New York State Assemblyman Marcos A. Crespo

Philadelphia Councilwoman Maria D. Quiñones-Sánchez

Pennsylvania State Representative Angel Cruz

Moderator: Katiria Soto, News Anchor, Univision New York
 

Concurrent Panels

 

1. Civil Rights, Human Rights, and Civic Engagement

José E. López, Lecturer, Latin American and Latino Studies, University of Illinois (IL)

Jimmy Torres Velez, President, Puerto Rican Action Initiative (FL)

Yanil Terón, Executive Director, Center For Latino Progress (CT)

Moderator: Juan Cartagena, President and General Counsel, LatinoJustice PRLDEF (NY)

2.  Education

Margaret Rivera, Board President, Aspira Delaware (DE)

Roberto Sanabria, Director of Equal Opportunity and Access, Northwestern University (IL)

Johanna López, Orange County Public School Teacher of the Year (FL)

Moderator: Ronald Blackburn-Moreno, President and CEO, Aspira (DC)

 

3.  Environment and Community Development

Eddie Bautista, Executive Director, NYC Environmental Justice Alliance (NY)

Marcos Vilar, Vilar Strategy Group (FL)

Yulissa Arce, Climate Change Program Manager, Florida Institute for Reform & Empowerment 

Moderator: Luis Garden-Acosta, President, El Puente (NY)
 

4.  Health Disparities

Melissa Fuster, PhD, Brooklyn College (NY)

José Sánchez, CEO, Norwegian-American Hospital (IL)

Josephine Mercado, Founder/Executive Director, Hispanic Health Initiatives, Inc. (FL)

Maria Idali Torres, MSPH, PhD, Director, Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy, University of Massachusetts

Moderator: Raúl Russi, CEO, Acacia Network (NY)
 

Plenary Panel C: National Perspective

U.S. Congressman Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL)

U.S. Congressman José E. Serrano (D-NY)

U.S. Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY)

Moderator: Sandra Lilley, Managing Editor, NBC Latino

 

Saturday, April 23 

 

Plenary Keynote Address

Speaker: Monsignor Roberto González Nieves, O.F.M., Archbishop of San Juan (PR)

 

Concurrent Panels 

 

1. Faith-Based Communities

Bishop Ángel Marcial, PhD, Iglesia de Dios (FL)

Reverend Roberto Luis Lugo (PA)

Pastor Omar Medina, President, Hispanic Pastor's Association (OH)

Reverend Eunice Santana, Iglesia Discípulos de Cristo, (PR)

Moderator: Rev. Dr. Raymond Rivera (NY)

 

2. Cultural Activism and Historical Preservation

Lorraine A. Cortés-Vázquez, Chairperson, National Puerto Rican Day Parade Inc. (NY)

Dr. Alberto Hernández, Associate Director, Center for Puerto Rican Studies (NY)

Federico Pérez, Former President, Puerto Rican Day Parade (NY)

Teresa Santiago, Comité Noviembre (NY)

Moderator: Juan J. González, Esq., President, Parada San Juan Bautista, Inc. (NJ)

 

3. Youth

Alejandro Manzanares, Stand UP for Puerto Rico (MA)

Jessie Fuentes, Community School Representative, RCCA (IL)

Isabel Rullán, ConPRmetidos/Puerto Rico Global (PR)

Moderator: Christy Marrero, Editorial Vice President, Hola! USA (NY)

 

4. Legal System and Puerto Ricans (Bar Associations)

Mark Anthony Bimbela, Esq., President, Colegio de Abogados (PR)

Anthony Suárez, Esq., President, Puerto Rican Bar Association of Orlando (FL)

Moderator: Betty Lugo, Esq., President, Puerto Rican Bar Association (NY)

 

5. Veterans

Captain Frank Medina, U.S. Army Veteran, Congressional Gold Medal Alliance (FL)

Lieutenant Colonel Lesbia Nieves, Connecticut National Guard

Luis Vazquez-Contes, National Vice-Commander, American GI Forum of the United States (CO)

Moderator: Dr. Harry Franqui-Rivera, Researcher, Centro

 

6. Women/NACOPRW

Amaris Hernández, Vice-President, NACOPRW Philadelphia (PA)

Sara Meléndez, NACOPRW (DC)

Michelle Centeno, President, NACOPRW (NY)

Moderator: Deborah López, NACOPRW (IL)

 

7. Visual Artists and Art Institutions

Billy Ocasio, CEO, National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture (IL)

Prof. Juan Sánchez, Hunter College (NY)

Nitza Tufiño, Visual Artist (NY)

Adrián 'Viajero' Román, Visual Artist (NY)

Moderator: Miguel Luciano, Artist (NY)

 

8.  Race/Afro Boricuas

Dr. Marta Moreno Vega, CEO, Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (NY)

Rebecca Dailey-Wooley, Boriqua Chicks (IL)

Moderator: Elizabeth Yeampierre, Esq, UPROSE (NY)

 

9. LGBT

Dr. Luis Aponte-Parés, Community Planning, UMass-Boston (MA)

Dr. Erika Gisela Abad Merced, Oral Historian, Center for Puerto Rican Studies (IL)

Dr. Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes, American Culture Department, University of Michigan

Nelson Rafael Román, Holyoke Ward 2 City Councilor (MA)

Moderator: Pedro Julio Serrano, Puerto Rico Para Tod@s (NY)

 

10. Social Media

Natascha Otero-Santiago, ParrandaPR (FL)

Gabe González, Univision/Flama (NY): 

Xavier Burgos, La Respuesta (IL)

Alejandro Molina, National Boricua Human Rights Network (IL)

Moderator: Marlena Fitzpatrick, Latino Rebels (NY)

 

11. Puerto Rican Academics

Dr. Juanita Díaz-Cotto, Sociology, Binghamton University, SUNY (NY)

Dr. Belinda Reyes, Director, Cesar E. Chavez Institute (CA)

Co-Moderators: Prof. Xavier Totti and Dr. Teresita Levy, Lehman College (NY)