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Post Event Report 2021
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Conference Chair
Elizabeth Riley
Executive Director (Ag)
 CDEMA - Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency

Ms. Elizabeth Riley is the Executive Director (Acting) of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). Ms. Riley has over 20 years experience in the area of disaster management managing the Agency’s technical programming and providing strategic guidance in the areas of Preparedness and Response, Mitigation, Recovery, Education and Training and Information Management. She has played a leading role in the coordination of regional disaster responses and is currently responsible for the coordination of the region’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Riley is currently Vice-Chair of the ICG/Caribe Early Warning Systems Group of Experts on Coastal Hazards and also sits on the Regional Advisory Group leading the implementation of the Regional Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean on Disaster Risk Management in the Agriculture and Food and Nutrition Sectors. She holds a M.A (Econ) in Environment and Development from University of Manchester, BSc. (Hons) in Geography from the University of the West Indies, and a Masters Certificate in Results Based Monitoring and Evaluation and Information Systems from the University of Laval, Quebec.


Keynote Speakers
H.E. Janaina Tewaney Mencomo
Minister of Government
 Republic of Panama

Her Excellency Janaina Tewaney Mencomo is currently the Minister of Government in the Republic of Panama. She was previously the Advisor responsible for Panama’s foreign policy strategies relating to security and the President of the Republic Official Missions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Her Excellency has served as an independent consultant on International Trade and International Policy and as an International Policy Analyst on terrorism financing, geopolitics, security, and water diplomacy at Strategic Foresight Group (SFG) in India. She has also worked as a Research Analyst on topics of International Humanitarian Law, Nuclear Disarmament, International Mediation and Arbitration, Chemical and Conventional Weapons at the University of Hong Kong. She also worked as a Negotiating Lawyer on the Free Trade Agreements between Panama at the Ministry of Commerce and Industries of Panama, and its commercial partners on labor, environmental, financial services and foreign investment issues in Panama. Mrs. Mencomo is a graduate in Law and Political Science from the University of Panama, in addition to two master's degrees, in Public International Law from the Free University of Brussels and in Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Law from the University of Hong Kong.
Claudia Herrera Melgar
Executive Secretary
 CEPREDENAC - Coordination Center for the Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America

Currently serving as Executive Secretary of CEPREDENAC, Ms. Claudia Herrera has a degree in Business Administration and 20 years experience in the Integral Risk Management of Disasters, a field in which she became involved after the Hurricane Mitch disaster in 1998. Ms. Herrera was part of the team responsible for the harmonization of the Central American Policy on Comprehensive Risk Management of Disasters within the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, coordinating the participation of CEPREDENAC with the Executive Committee of the Central American Integration System (SICA), government agencies, national systems, international cooperation and strategic actors linked to Disaster Risk Reduction, until its approval at the 2017 SICA Summit of Presidents and Heads of State. Claudia also led the process for the update of the Regional Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction 2019-2023. Previously she has served as Regional Advisor in the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR); as an EU representative coordinating Regional Projects of the General Directorate of Humanitarian Aid (DG-ECHO) and has led national spaces such as the Humanitarian Network in Honduras and the National Forum of Act Alliance. She has also coordinated projects financed by the Ministry of Development of the United Kingdom (DFID), and the UN Development Program (UNDP), among others.
Rogerio Mobilia Silva
Head of Office a.i.,Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC)
 UNOCHA - Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Appointed as Deputy Head of Office of OCHA ROLAC in 2019, after heading the Information Services Unit since 2007, Mr. Silva has been leading the Regional Office since March 2020 during the Pandemic of COVID-19. With studies in System Technology Engineering, Mr. Silva counts with 25 years of experience on disasters management as an international servant and other years on private sector. Has worked extensively in areas of automatization, communication, information management and coordination of emergencies. Most recently, he has led OCHA and other international specialized teams supporting emergency responses and has dedicated his humanitarian life working for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.


Speakers
Charles Keys (Panel Chair)
CEO
 Wave Water Works, LLC

Mr. Chuck Keys is a returning speaker. At ADR 2020, his Keynote Address titled “A Cooperative Model for Rapid Power Deployment and Pre-Emptive Long-Term Innovation”, was very warmly received. Keys’ original ADR invitation stemmed from the Oscillo Drive’s repeated exposure in the Caribbean, across the United States, and at every port and municipality, in the media (local, national, and global). Since 2012, he has been an important player, respected water energy expert and spokesperson. Keys has long been known for his support from the Michigan Business Accelerator Fund, Michigan Economic Growth Institute, Michigan Israeli Business Bridge (MIBB), Brazil’s Federal Institute of Pernambuco (IFPE) and his long collaboration with Oakland University’s School of Engineering and Business Incubator.
Lilia Blades Martinez
Shelter Coordination Focal Point for the Americas
 IFRC - Global Shelter Cluster

Architect and regional planner, Lilia Blades Martinez is the focal point for shelter cluster coordination in Latin America and the Caribbean within the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Before joining the movement, she worked at the United Nations, municipal governments, NGO’s and the private sector in Latin America, Asia, Europe and Africa, mostly managing projects in urban development and capacity development. Areas of expertise include climate change adaptation, urban planning, disaster risk reduction, capacity development and partnerships development. She is currently part of the Working Group on Shelter Vulnerability Classification within the Shelter Cluster.
Richard Gordon
Director of the Disaster Management Centre
 Bournemouth University

Richard Gordon is Director of Disaster Management at Bournemouth University, UK. His work includes national and community-based risk reduction, integrated planning, command and control systems, risk assessment, early warning, strategic communication and situational awareness. Richard has designed and delivered disaster management projects for government agencies in the Middle East, West Africa, South and East Asia, Eastern Europe and the Caribbean. Since 2014 Richard has focused upon delivering an extensive suite of continuous professional development modules (CPDs) in disaster management that encourage an integrated approach for government ministries, and their national security forces and emergency services, along with media professionals, commercial businesses and critical national industries to collaborate in developing their understanding of disaster management strategies whilst also working towards a professional Post Graduate Masters qualification. Richard is Vice Chair (External) of the Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management (ICPEM).
Tim Hedges
Humanitarian Diplomacy & Liaison Lead
 ShelterBox

Tim Hedges is ShelterBox Humanitarian Diplomacy and Liaison Lead and part of ShelterBox’s Latin America and Caribbean working group. As such he has a particular interest in building relationships and awareness to support the organisation’s ability to respond effectively in the region. Tim has been involved with ShelterBox since 2010, and has responded in countries as diverse as Iraq, Guatemala, Ethiopia and Nepal. He was also heavily involved in response to hurricanes Irma, Maria and Dorien, working closely with local organisations. Previous roles have included working in Higher Education and acting as Race Director for a global yacht race. Tim currently lives in the UK.
Liza Hernandez-Betancourth
Regional Lead for Americas and the Caribbean
 GNDR - Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction

Guatemalan Specialist in Community Nutrition and Public Health with a Master in Gender, Sexuality and Public Policy; working over the past 20 years in health, nutrition and community development areas with a solid research background from Tuft University; Liza Mariana Hernández-Betancourth has been Regional Director of Fundraising for World Vision in Central America and Mexico and currently is the Regional Lead for Americas and the Caribbean of the Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR).
Paul Mentor
Chief of Staff
 Haiti Ministry of Public Health & Population (MSPP)

Paul is an economist and an organizational leadership and organizational development expert by training with over 25 years of financial and managerial experience. Throughout his career, Paul has held a variety of responsibilities in very competitive industries such as banking (either as a commercial banker or regulator), telecommunications and mobile banking. He has served as executive director of a mortgage bank in his home country for 5 years. He then joined the U.S. telecommunications industry as Executive Vice-President of a Florida based VoIP service provider providing strategic direction for global product management (West Africa, Europe and Caribbean countries). In addition, Paul has also worked as consultant for various big corporations in the U.S. Paul is a member of The American Economic Association (1992). He holds a Master's degree (MSc.) with a double specialization in Economics and International Finance and Project Analysis in Canada, a diploma in Statistics and has completed a doctorate program in Leadership and Organizational Development in U.S.A. He is currently the Chief of Staff of the Minister of Health and Population in Haiti.
Chloe Demrovsky (Panel Chair)
President and CEO
 DRI International

Chloe Demrovsky is the President and CEO of DRI International. She is a senior Forbes contributor, has authored numerous articles, appeared on Bloomberg TV, MSNBC, CNBC and Fox, and has served as an expert source for The Associated Press, BBC, USA Today, The Financial Times, Conde Nast Traveler, ABC News, and others. She has presented at dozens of events across five continents and has conducted on-site briefings for government officials, government bodies including the US Congress, the European Commission and the United Nations, as well as for visiting delegations. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Rockefeller Foundation 100 Resilient Cities Subject Matter Advisor, a member of the United Nation Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) ARISE Global Board, and sits on the DRI Foundation’s Board of Directors and the Bard College at Simon's Rock Board of Advisors.
Donna Callejon
Executive Lead - Disaster Response
 GlobalGiving

Having been with GlobalGiving since 2003, Donna currently leads the development and execution of our organization-wide strategy to leveraging the power of the GlobalGiving donor community to support community-led response to natural and humanitarian disasters. She leads the small but mighty team that facilitates millions of dollars of grants annually. Prior to focusing exclusively on this work, Donna built and led GlobalGiving's corporate partnerships and vetting and grants programs and teams. Donna serves on the board of i2Capital, an innovative conservation financing B Corp. Her previous board roles included the Washington Area Women's Foundation, Business for Social Responsibility, GlobalGiving UK, and Water for People. During her first chapter, Donna was a senior executive of Fannie Mae. She is a California native with a B.S. in Managerial Economics from UC Davis, and lives in Maryland with her partner, Debbie, and four legged family members Bodie & Oliver.
Greg Cormier
Humanitarian Team Leader
 Mercy Corps

Greg Cormier, Humanitarian Team Leader (Americas), Mercy Corps. Greg Cormier has ten years of experience in the humanitarian and development sector including working in humanitarian crises Central and South America, Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. 
Bekah Curtis-Heald
Deputy Director at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)
 Clinton Foundation

Bekah Curtis-Heald is a Deputy Director at the Clinton Global Initiative, an initiative of the Clinton Foundation. In this role, she leads CGI’s work in the Caribbean which is focused on hurricane recovery and resilience. She has been with the Clinton Foundation for over 5 years and previously worked at different non-profits in Washington, DC, and in Ghana. She holds a MSc in Development Studies from SOAS, University of London and a BA in International Affairs from George Washington University.
Frank Ford
Chief of Readiness & Contingency Operations (RCO)
 USACE - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Mr. Franklin D. Ford is the Chief of Readiness and Contingency Operations at the South Atlantic Division, United States Corps of Engineers where he coordinates emergency management, national emergency preparedness, flood and coastal storm risk management, and security programs for the southeast region to include the Caribbean. Mr. Ford manages Emergency Support Function 3 – Public Works and Engineering under the National Response Framework, and Infrastructure Systems Recovery Support Function within the National Disaster Recovery Framework for FEMA Regions IV and II (Caribbean). Mr. Ford has over 35 years of professional experience in military and civilian emergency operations and earned a master’s degree in National Security Strategy.
Sam Tidwell
Volunteer Partner to the Director - Americas Region
 American Red Cross

A long-term “Red Crosser,” I retired after 37 years with the American Red Cross, serving chapters and regions in four states in roles including Regional CEO, Chapter CEO, Chief Development Officer and Chief Financial Officer and as a Senior Major Gift Officer at NHQ. After the Red Cross, I joined JDRF, the leading global Type 1 Diabetes foundation. Now fully retired, I returned as a volunteer to the greatest organization in the world, the Red Cross, and am in the ARC interim executive corps to serve when needed.
K-T Overbey
President & Executive Director
 OneSight

Katherine G. Overbey (K-T) joined OneSight as the President and Executive Director in 2018. In her tenure to date, she has focused on ensuring operational excellence in the current programming areas while also enabling future scale through the development of strategic partnerships. To do this, she has drawn on her previous experiences in both public health and corporate positions. Prior to OneSight, K-T served as the Assistant Vice President of Program Development and Innovation at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, while also serving as Executive Director of the Learning Network program there. She also previously spent 15 years as a marketing leader at Procter & Gamble.
Oronde Lambert (Panel Chair)
Information & Communications Technology Manager
 CDEMA - Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency

Mr. Oronde Lambert is an Information & Communications Technology (ICT) Professional with over twenty years of experience in the field spanning the manufacturing, banking, airline, telecommunications and disaster management sectors. Mr. Lambert is also a Certified Business Continuity Manager. Mr. Lambert is currently the ICT Manager at the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), a post he has held for the past eight years, where he is responsible for Information Technology, Telecommunications, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Information Systems Security. Mr. Lambert is also tasked with the responsibility for ensuring that ICT is effectively used in the National Disaster Offices throughout the region, especially to ensure the effective exchange of critical information during disaster response operations.
Dagbjartur (Dag) Brynjarsson
Program Manager - Emergency Preparedness & Response
 NetHope

Dag has been an active member of ICE-SAR since 1989 and for the last 20 years, he has been specializing in disaster management. Dag was one of the team leaders for ICE-SAR international USAR team from 2008 – 2011 and possess a UNDAC education (United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination).  Dag has been with NetHope now for over 5 years and is today the program manager for Emergency Preparedness & Response. He has been a managing emergencies such as the Syrian Refugee Crisis in Europe, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, Venezuelan Migrant Crisis in Colombia, Peru and Brazil and Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas. Dag is a strong believer in preparedness and training, and with NetHope, he has participated in designing and delivering NetHope’s Disaster Response Training all over the world. Dag has a background in telecommunications with Iceland Telecom where he worked for 23 years, having previously been director for Icelandic Search and Rescue Associations Rescue School for over 7 years.
Simon Gray
Senior Vice President of Civil Government
 Eutelsat

Simon Gray is the Senior Vice President of Civil Government for Eutelsat and he is also a member of the ITU Advisory board for developing disaster comms strategy world-wide. He has been elected by the other 8 satellite fleet operators to coordinate the Satellite charter with the UN for the satellite industry. Simon coordinates the ESOA and GVF humanitarian working groups. Simon has been elected a Director of the GVF, for over 8 years. He has worked in the satellite industry for over 20 years and while at Eutelsat has been responsible for the largest training program ever undertaken by a satellite operator. His role in Eutelsat has also encompassed developing a new class of satellite terminal, equipment approval, mobile Apps, training courses & training tools. His team has also been responsible for overseeing over 350,000 terminal installations across 4 continents and he is the point of reference for the Eutelsat fleet for remote terminal technology.
David Meltzer
Secretary General
 GVF

David Meltzer has 30 years of experience in the satellite and humanitarian industries. Mr. Meltzer currently leads GVF which is the largest global trade association for the commercial satellite industry. As GVF’s Secretary General, he leads advocacy efforts on behalf of the industry with national and international regulators while providing members with benefits in areas such as online and classroom training, organizing industry conferences, and leading industry working group. Prior to GVF, Mr. Meltzer served for thirteen years at the American Red Cross leading its international disaster relief and development activities and served as the American Red Cross’ General Counsel for over five years. Mr. Meltzer also served as Intelsat’s General Counsel and Executive Vice President for Regulatory Affairs during a sixteen-year career at Intelsat.
Francis Raveneau
VP Sales & Marketing
 Base Camp Connect

Francis Raveneau is a shareholder of Base Camp Connect and acting Sales and Marketing VP. As such, he is responsible for strategic alliances and international markets. Francis has a 20-year background in the strategic development of local and International markets for various companies. Prior to his current position, he held an international market development position at Danaher, a Fortune 500 company.
Christian Wiley (Panel Chair)
CEO
 Advance Catastrophe Technologies

As President & CEO, Christian Wiley has greatly expanded ACT’s service offering and added dozens of service locations across North America. His vision and approach in servicing client’s needs from a proactive stance, has greatly disrupted the marketplace.  Earlier in life, Christian grew up in the industry when restoration was still a very new concept. As he learned the science and customer service components, he also recognized what was not working in the industry. Taking that knowledge and passion, Christian went on to build multiple high performing restoration firms that still service the U.S. and countries in the Caribbean. 
Vice-admiral Jean Hausermann
Commander
 French Armed Forces in the West Indies

Vice-admiral Jean Hausermann, born 23rd December 1965, entered the Naval Academy in September 1986 and obtained the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) certificate in 1994. He is a 2003-2004 graduate of the 11th class of the War College in Paris and a 2011-2012 graduate of the 63rd session of the Italian Defense Higher Studies Institute in Rome. Throughout his distinguished career, VA Hausermann headed ASW department on board Helicopter Carrier Jeanne d’Arc, and ASW destroyer de Grasse, served as Commanding Officer of the corvette Commandant L’Herminier (2002), Executive Officer of destroyer Dupleix (2006-2007), and also serving the FR Joint Combined HQ for two years.  He was integrated in the Carrier group staffs, on board the aircraft carriers Foch and Charles De Gaulle, involved in the planning of naval operations and air operations over Afghanistan. In 2008, VA Hausermann was appointed to the French Military Representation to the EU in Brussels, overseeing the organization of EU operation ATALANTA before taking command of destroyer de Grasse in 2009, and becoming Captain Career Management within FRA Navy CNPers as military assistant of the Deputy CHOD for joint operations, in Paris. Since 2017, as a flag officer, he is Head of Planning & Logistics of the CPCO, Joint Staff in Paris. In August 2019, VA Hausermann became Commander of French forces in the Caribbean. His decorations include the grade of Officer of Légion d’Honneur and Commander of ordre national du Mérite.
Brigadier General Erik Rodriguez, Colombian Army
Director of the Exercises & Coalition Affairs (J7/9) Directorate
 United States Southern Command HQs

Brigadier General Erik Rodríguez is a native of Bucaramanga, Colombia, and currently serves as Director, J7/9 (Exercises and Coalition Affairs), United States Southern Command. His current responsibilities include oversight of U.S. Southern Command’s Civil Affairs, Humanitarian Assistance, Interagency Integration, Joint Training and Exercises, Partner Nation Advisors, Public Private Cooperation, and Science, Technology, and Innovation programs throughout Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Brigadier General Rodríguez is a graduate of the U.K. Royal College of Defense Studies (RCDS). He holds a Master's in Strategy and International Security from the King's College London University, a Master's in National Security and Defense from the Colombian War College, and a Bachelor degrees in Business Administration from the Nueva Granada University (UMNG) and Military Science from the Colombian Military Academy. He is also a graduate of the Colombian Intelligence and Paratroopers schools. Brigadier General Rodríguez is a four time recipient of the Distinguished Services in Combat Medal, has also been awarded the Presidential Victory Citation and the United States Army Meritorious Services Medal, among other awards.
Lt Col Simon Westlake, Royal Marines
UK Defence Attaché to the Caribbean
 UK Ministry of Defence - British High Commission Kingston

Lieutenant Colonel Simon Westlake has served with the Royal Marines for over 30 years. He has broad experience in land and maritime environments, with multiple operational deployments and roles within national and multinational headquarters at the tactical, operational and strategic levels.  With experience of counter-piracy and counter-insurgency operations, counter-terrorism programmes, and extensive work with international partners, Simon served as a Defence Attaché in West Africa between 2016-2019, and assumed his current position as the UK Defence Attaché to the Caribbean in June 2020.  A graduate of the USMC University, Quantico, Simon holds a Master’s Degree, with Distinction, in Military Studies.
Lt Col Paul Simpson
J5 Latin America & Caribbean/HADR/NEO,Canadian Joint Operations Command
 Canadian Armed Forces

Lieutenant Colonel Simpson hails from Brampton Ontario and joined the Canadian Armed Forces in December 1986 following graduation from McMaster University with a BA in Psychology. After completing his basic infantry officer qualification he joined the Royal Canadian Regiment in London Ontario as a Lieutenant in August of 1988. Lieutenant Colonel Simpson has served in numerous operational and staff positions and has deployed multiple times on operations around the globe. He was posted to the J5 Plans department of Canadian Joint Operations Command Headquarters in January of 2015 taking over as the desk officer for Latin America and the Caribbean as well as having responsibility for the Canadian Armed Forces support to Global Affairs Canada in the conduct of Humanitarian Assistance/ Disaster Relief and Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations worldwide. Lieutenant Colonel Simpson is a member of the Canadian Disaster Assessment Team who are an integrated Canadian Armed Forces/Global Affairs Canada element tasked to respond to natural disasters abroad and provide assessments and advice to government on how Canada can best respond to a crisis. Lieutenant Colonel Simpson was the Canadian lead for the development of the Multi-National Caribbean Coordination Cell (Barbados).
Jorge E. Zequeira
Regional Civil Military & Security Coordinator, and Acting-Head of Office of Program Coordination & Cooperation in Colombia
 IFRC - International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Mr. Jorge Zequeira has an academic background in Justice, Criminal Justice, Spanish and Business Administration. He has been working for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) for 11 years. His current roles at IFRC are Regional Security Coordinator, Regional Civil Military Relations (CMR) Coordinator, Acting-Head of Office of Program Coordination and Cooperation in Colombia and Regional Business Continuity Plans Team Coordinator. In the past he had the opportunity to perform roles within the Regional Office as IFRC Americas Acting Deputy Director, Liaison for the Northern Cluster Countries (USA, Canada, and Mexico), Head of the Pan American Disaster Response Unit (PADRU), among others. In the humanitarian field, he has also been Operational Consultant of the Regional Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (CLRAH) for the Panamanian Government. Mr. Zequeira retired honorably from the U.S. Army as Lieutenant Colonel in 2010 having served in high-level missions in Germany, Panama, Venezuela, Guatemala, United States, in areas such as logistics, Deputy Military attaché in the Venezuelan Embassy of the USA, Policy and Strategy, among others. Mr. Zequeira has also been distinguished in Learning aspects by being teacher at Universities such as University Louisville in Panama, Universidad de Alta Direccion, Quality Leadership University, United States Military Academy at West Point, among others.
Alberto Sierra
Director
 CLRAH - Regional Logistics Center for Humanitarian Assistance; Panama

Mr. Sierra has a bachelor´s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Banking and Finances from the Latina University of Panamá. He also has a Masters´ degree in Maritime Business Management in Logistics and Transportation. He has occupied management positions in renowned national as well as international companies. At present, Mr. Sierra is the Executive Director at the Regional Logistics Center for Humanitarian Assistance, where he coordinates actions to strengthen humanitarian logistics operations of the National Civic Protection System of Panama (SINAPROC), the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD), all located within the Center.
Wiley Knight (Panel Chair)
Director of Humanitarian Aid
 Radiant Global Logistics

Wiley Knight is Director of Humanitarian Aid for Radiant Global Logistics, a comprehensive logistics and transportation company that delivers supply chain solutions across the globe. Wiley’s career has spanned over thirty years in the logistics and freight forwarding industry including as a licensed US Customs Broker. For the last fifteen years, Wiley has concentrated his efforts in the Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Logistics space, working tirelessly to support missions throughout the world with both NGO and government agencies. A native of Charleston South Carolina, Wiley now lives in Charlotte NC with his wife.
Ben Dinsdale
Global Director for Humanitarian & Government Services
 Air Charter Service

Ben joined Air Charter Service almost 18 years ago, working in the cargo division in the company’s London office, where he quickly rose to the position of team leader, before becoming Assistant Cargo Director. Fluent in French, Ben then became Cargo Director for ACS’s Paris office in 2014 before becoming Cargo Development Director in 2018. Ben has a proven track record and experience procuring aircraft charters following natural disasters, into high-risk regions and in relief & humanitarian situations, including in response to Hurricane Dorian (2019), Philippines earthquake (2018), Nepal Earthquake (2015), Haiti earthquake (2010), Pakistan earthquake (2005-6) and Indian Ocean tsunami (2004-5).
Philip Hassell
Senior Manager - Business Development
 Leonardo DRS

Phil Hassell is the Senior Manager of Business Development for the DRS Global Enterprise Solutions Business Unit. The Business Development Unit focuses on building partnerships with customer organizations to provide them with best-value information and communication technology solutions. In his role, Phil develops relationships with customers to identify their critical performance requirements and leads a team of engineers and logistic professionals to develop a solution tailored to the customer’s needs and budget.
Phil has more than 15 years’ supporting customer missions in austere and remote environments. In addition to the communications and geospatial intelligence experience at DRS, he has worked internationally to support customers in implementing observation, remote power and human capital solutions. Phil earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech.
Eng. Jaime Posso
Director of Administration & Finances
 SINAPROC Panama - National Civil Protection System

Engineer Jaime Posso G is the Director of Administration and Finances of the SINAPROC. He is a Industrial Engineer with a Master´s Degree in Business Administration and Certification Program in Integral Leadership from AES Business School. Eng. Jaime Posso G has more than 20 years of experience in the private and government sector.
Edward Meck
Team Leader - Freight Forwarding Team
 UNPD - UN Secretariat Procurement Division

Edward Meck is a Zimbabwean national and is the Team Leader of the Freight Forwarding Team at the United Nations Procurement Division, New York. He has 34 years of Procurement experience in both the private and public Sectors. He has worked for the UN Common System for a total period 20 years at the UNHQ, New York and the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria. Edward has also been a Senior Buyer at Anglo American Zimbabwe. He has an MBA (Strategic Procurement Management) from the University of Birmingham, UK, a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of South Africa with a major in Transport Economics & Logistics management and Business Management. Edward also has a graduate Diploma from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS), UK and earned the SCOR-P endorsement from the Association for Supply Chain Management (USA).
Francisco Quesada
UNHRD Manager
 UN Humanitarian Response Depot / WFP

Mr. Francisco Quesada has a degree in Law and Mater in International Cooperation for Development. Since December 2015, he has served as Manager of the UNHRD Panama, most recently completing a 5 month mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo supporting WHO during the ebola outbreak (Dec 2018 - May 2019). Previously, Mr. Quesada has worked as Advisor of the Cabinet of the Secretary General of International Development in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain; Advisor on International Development of the Popular Party Group at the Spanish Parliament; Director of the NGO Kivuvu; Project Manager and expatriate in Humanismo y Democracia Foundation; Project and Logistics Manager in the NGO Action Against Hunger, Volunteer in NGO Manos Unidas; Independent Consultant in the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; Editor Assistant in the newsletter Eurosur in Brussels; Assistant at the Information and Communication Department in IBF in Brussels; and Internship at Directorate General X - Multimedia Library at the European Commission in Brussels.
Scott Congdon
Market Development & Partnership Management
 Intelsat

Scott Congdon leads Intelsat’s land mobile market development activities worldwide, including strategic planning, establishing solution partners, and building a robust terminal portfolio. He partners closely with all of Intelsat’s stakeholders, including program management, network operations, engineering, solutions management, regulatory, strategy, product marketing and sales to ensure the land mobile product portfolio is aligned with market needs, customer requirements and emerging trends. Prior to joining Intelsat, Mr. Congdon led Kyocera’s international sales and business development activities for wireless devices in markets outside of Japan and the US. Earlier in his career, Mr. Congdon championed sales, business and market development activities for a variety of companies in consumer electronics, international fiber and IP networking, satellite network operators (Iridium and Teledesic), as well as financial management responsibilities for various Motorola businesses.
Udani Pettersson
Sales & Service Design Director
 Satcube AB

Udani Pettersson is the Sales and Service Design Director at the Swedish satellite communications company Satcube. At Satcube she combines her background in business with her passion for digital solutions. The goal is to change the traditional view of satellite communications as complex and difficult by making it easily accessible to everyone, everywhere on the planet. She is working closely with NGOs and national emergency preparedness organizations to understand their needs and challenges. By incorporating this into the development of solutions Satcube can provide services which empowers organizations to deliver critical communications at any given time.
Pablo Escribano (Panel Chair)
Regional Thematic Specialist
 IOM - International Organization for Migration

Pablo Escribano is the Regional Thematic Specialist of the International Organization for Migration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change. He supports the IOM engagement on the relationship between migration, the environment and climate change in the countries of the Americas and the Caribbean from the IOM Regional Office in San José, Costa Rica. Previously, Pablo Escribano worked in the Donor Relations Division at IOM Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. He also participated in the implementation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Observatory on South-South Migration from the IOM Regional Office in Brussels, Belgium, and assisted in the implementation of counter-trafficking projects in West and Central Africa. Pablo Escribano holds a Master's Degree in political science and history from Sciences Po Paris and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a focus on Latin America from the same university.
Jose Nelson Chavez Rosales
HEA Sub-regional Advisor
 World Vision

Jose Nelson Chavez Rosales is the Subregional Advisor for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergencies for Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean of WV LAC and is part of the global response team against COVID-19. He is focused on the design of Disaster Risk Reduction strategies, has 30 years of experience in local development programs, child protection and Humanitarian Aid in World Vision and in the last 15 years, he has participated in humanitarian responses in several countries of the Americas and was part of WV's global response to the Tsunami in Southeast Asia. He has studies in Business Administration, a Post Graduate Degree in Health and Disasters. He is an international trainer of the Humanitarian Standards of the Sphere Project, Child Protection and he an active member of the regional cluster of Education in Emergencies.
Basile Ema Ebede
Regional Senior Humanitarian Manager
 Save the Children

Basile Ema Ebede is Save the Children’s Senior Regional Humanitarian Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean. His humanitarian experience spans over sectors like Health, Construction, Food Security and Livelihoods, across the 2004 Tsunami Response and Recovery in Indonesia, cholera epidemics in Chad and Haiti, Ebola Epidemic in West Africa and the Venezuela Migration Crisis among others as a Field Manager and Country Director. He has Master Degrees in Public Health, International Relations and International Public Law. A French citizen, originally from Cameroon, he has worked for several NGOs and for the Red Cross Movement in various positions. He currently provides humanitarian strategic leadership and support to Save the Children’s Country Offices in the region.
Racquel Moses
CEO
 Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator

Catalyzing change that brings about transformation has been the primary pursuit of Racquel Moses’ career. Racquel has enabled leadership and organizations around the world to go beyond their current vision and stay on the cusp of what is next. She has become a critical advisor for driving the shift to digital, for process automation and implementing key turnaround projects that heighten customer engagement and strengthen organizational performance. Known for her ability to build coalitions, Racquel’s success in the public and private sectors has allowed her to drive important advancements on world-changing topics that require regional consensus such as climate change, sustainability and building resilience.
Nadia Ortega
Disaster Risk Management Senior Officer
 IFRC - International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Nadia Ortega is currently the Disaster Risk Management, Senior Officer a.i. Regional Programme Coordinator Climate and Resilience at IFRC. In January 2020, Nadia joined America’s Regional Office of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, coordinating at regional level programme initiatives regarding Disaster Risk Reduction, Resilience and Climate Change, as well as supporting emergency response operations. She has a degree in Financial Engineering from Latina University of Panama, and an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master in Sustainable Territorial Development (STEDE) from the Universities of Padova, KU Leuven and Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne. Before joining the IFRC, Nadia had the opportunity to collaborate with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, World Food Programme (WFP), ECPAT International and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Dr. Claudio Santibanez
Regional Advisor Public Partnerships Latin America & Caribbean
 UNICEF - UN Children's Fund

Claudio Santibáñez is Senior Adviser for Public Sector Partnerships at UNICEF. He has +20 years of experience in advising, designing and implementing public policies for poverty eradication and inequality reduction. As international civil servant, he has worked with countries from Latin America, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. His professional experience includes senior positions at The World Bank (leading the Global Delivery Initiative, a global partnership on improving projects’ implementation); UNICEF Bolivia (chief social policy); Inter-American Development Bank (social development and gender expert); Ministry of Planning of Chile (chief social division, in charge of “Chile Solidario” development and technical assistance); and Ministry of Finance of Chile (advisor to Minister’s cabinet). He initiated his career as junior faculty at the Department of Economics, Universidad de Chile. He holds a BSc in Economics and a Commercial Engineering professional diploma from Universidad de Chile; and an MPhil and PhD in Economics from the University of Cambridge.


Live Open Chat Host
Matthew Johnson
Industry Liaison - Management Bureau (M/OAA)
 USAID - U.S. Agency for International Development

Matthew Johnson is the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Industry Liaison and Communications Director for the Office of Acquisition and Assistance. In this role, he helps to connect and engage with organizations around doing business with USAID. He has led a number of initiatives in support of these efforts, including the creation of the Agency’s live-feed Business Forecast, the development of the first-ever Acquisition and Assistance Strategy, and the New Partnerships Initiative. He has been with USAID since 2008. Prior to joining USAID, he served as the Director of Presidential Personal Correspondence and the Deputy Director of Presidential Writers at the White House.

Matthew is hosting the pre-event USAID Funding Workshop.
Neris Báez García de Mazzora
Director
 UNPD - UN Secretariat Procurement Division

Neris Báez García de Mazzora, a national of the Dominican Republic, is the Director of the United Nations Headquarters Procurement Division in New York. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from the Dominican Republic and a Master of Law from King’s College London. Before joining the UN Procurement Division, Ms. Baez was the Director, Office of Procurement Services at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Chief, Procurement Section at the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. Ms. Baez has practised law for 12 years in the private and public sectors in the Dominican Republic, Austria and in the Office of Legal Affairs of the IAEA. Ms Baez was also the Chair of the Procurement Network, UN High Level Commission for Management. She is a member of the UK Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply and the Dominican Bar Association and a regular speaker in international fora.

Neris is hosting the pre-event UN Procurement Workshop.
Stefano Riera
Procurement Manager - Americas Operational LPSCM
 IFRC - International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Stefano joined IFRC as Procurement Intern in 2005, while pursuing his university studies; This experience focused his path on the Humanitarian Sector. Since then, he joined the IFRC Americas Regional team, and has been deployed to Operations in Africa, Asia, HQ in Geneva and in the Americas including Haiti Earthquake Operation as Procurement Delegate. Stefano counts with 14 years of experience in Humanitarian Logistics and holds a university degree in International Business and Logistics.

Stefano is hosting the pre-event IFRC Logistics Supplier Workshop.
Lt Col Anton Gash
Former Defence Attaché for the Caribbean
 British Army

Lieutenant Colonel Anton Gash was the British Defence Attaché for the Caribbean until mid-2020, supporting Defence relations with 19 regional countries and territories, and was heavily involved in the UK and international military responses to Hurricanes Irma/Maria in 2017 and Dorian in 2019. He was previously Defence Attaché to Sri Lanka (2007-2009) and to Ghana, Mali, Cote D’Ivoire and Togo (2010-2013), and has served with the European Union in Brussels (2013-2016). His operational deployments include Iraq and Afghanistan with the British Army, and Cyprus (UNFICYP) and Mali (MINUSMA) with the United Nations. A tank soldier by background, he has also specialised in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defence. He leaves the British Army later this year and is currently exploring future options in the international, humanitarian and disaster resilience fields. He hold Masters degrees from Oxford, Cranfield and King’s College London, and is currently working towards a Disaster Management MSc with Bournemouth University.

Anton is hosting the post-event Inter-Agency Workshop alongside Ag. Executive Director of CDEMA, Elizabeth Riley.