PNYX Ltd. - Action on Disaster Relief II

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Conference Chair

Andria Grosvenor
Planning & Business Development Manager
Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)

Andria Grosvenor has been working in the field of disaster management for twenty years. Currently working with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), Ms. Grosvenor has been appointed to manage the business side of the Agency’s programming –with a focus on strategic planning, resource mobilization and monitoring & evaluation. Ms. Grosvenor’s portfolio over the years has been diverse, working in the functional areas of disaster preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery; managing projects, guiding the development of the Agency’s disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation products, overseeing country support activities in the 18 CDEMA Participating States and coordinating the regional response during times of emergency, in the context of the Regional Response Mechanism (RRM). Ms. Grosvenor has been involved in several emergency events in the Caribbean region dating back to 1995, including on the ground deployments involving both strategic and operational engagements; the most notable of which are Hurricanes Luis and Marilyn (1995), Montserrat Volcanic Emergency, Hurricane Georges (1998), Hurricane Lenny (1999), Hurricane Ivan (2004), Hurricane Dean (2007), Hurricane Ike (2008), Haiti Earthquake (2010), Hurricane Tomas (2010) and Hurricane Irene (2011).

Keynote Speakers

Selina Baños
General Director of International Cooperation
Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Republic of Panama

Selina Baños, General Director of International Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs holds a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations with a Specialization in Business Administration from Florida State University. She holds a Master's Degree in International Cooperation for Development at the University Institute of Development and Cooperation of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and a Diploma in South-South and Triangular Cooperation in Latin America by the University Institute of Development and Cooperation of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. It also has Doctoral Courses in Political Science and Sociology from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

She has previously worked as Director of International Technical Cooperation and Deputy Director of Planning and Goals in the Ministry of Government. She worked as Project Technician at the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Public Administration and Policy (FIIAPP) in Madrid Spain. She was International Councilor for International Cooperation at the Embassy of Panama in Spain. She also worked as a National Officer for South-South Cooperation in the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). She has carried out UN External Consultancy of Campaign "UNETE to put an end to violence against women"; For UN Women.

Marianela Guzmán
Project Intelligence Coordinator
Coordination Center for the Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America (CEPREDENAC)

Speakers

Javier Alejandro Paez Vogel (Panel Chair)
Latin America Public Security CTO
Huawei Technologies

Mr. Javier Paez joined Huawei in end of 2014 as a high-end expert focusing on the Public Safety and Safe City solution vertical within Enterprise Business Unit in Latin America Region based in Mexico. His Key Responsibility is to leverage Huawei Safe City and Public Safety solutions in the region. With his extensive experience in ICT and Safe City projects, Mr. Paez brings with him 24 years of specialist knowledge and understanding to Huawei Enterprise. Having been responsible for Engineering, Technical Pre-sales, and business development activities in solutions that require complex integration of software systems, ICT infrastructure and different sensors.

Raul Salazar
Regional Programme Officer,Regional Office for the Americas
UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)

Mr. Raul Salazar (Peru), is the Regional Programme Officer for Disaster Risk Reduction in the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) Secretariat for the Americas based in Panama. He is also focal point for private sector partnerships for disaster risk reduction and integration of disaster risk reduction in public investment planning. Prior to this position, Mr. Salazar worked as Programme Officer in UNDP Peru (1997-2010), where he was the Cluster Manager in the area of Poverty and Crisis Prevention and Recovery, managing several national and regional programmes and providing policy support on Disaster Risk Reduction.

He has been a member of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team since 2003 and participated in different UN Coordination missions such as in Jamaica (Hurricane Ivan 2004), the emergency and recovery process after the earthquake in Peru (Ica 2007), the UNDAC mission to Haiti (Port au Prince 2010) and as UNDP Resource Mobilization and Early Recovery Advisor to Kyrgyzstan (August 2010). During his career in UNDP Peru, he was Chair of the United Nations Emergency Technical Team (UNETT, formed by disaster response focal points of UN agencies in Peru) from 2003 to 2010.

Susana Isabel Pinilla Cisneros
Panama Country Director
CAF - Development Bank of Latin America

Ms. Susana Pinilla currently serves as Representative Director at CAF - Development Bank of Latin America in their Panama Office. She has a Degree in Anthropology, specialized studies in Business Administration and Finance, and Master degree in Governance and Public Policy. Previously, Ms. Pinilla has served as Labor and Employment Promotion Minister (first woman in this position); Women’s and Social Development Minister; and Adviser to the President of the Republic. Ms. Pinilla is an International consultant, with experience in Latin America, Africa and Asia, and specializes in Development Issues: Inclusive Finances, Productive Transformation and Employment, Interculturalism, Competitiveness and Governability. She speaks six languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Quechua, is a Mastery Professor in the most recognized universities of Peru, and author of several specialized publications.

Amb. Pedro Vuskovic
OAS Representative in Panama
Organization of American States (OAS)

Mr. Pedro Vuskovic, Chilean, has a Master Degree in Economics and International Policies at CIDE (Center of Research and Economic Lecture) in Mexico, also has a graduate degree in Judiciary and Gender Scope at UNAN (National Autonomous University of Nicaragua). Mr. Vuskovic has been the deputy of the General Secretariat’s OEA Office in Nicaragua, Ecuador and currently in Panama, also coordinates Inter-American Judicial Facilitators Program of the Organization of American States, was director and consultant in several projects and technical cooperation programs. In the education sector has taught for the Economic and Social Research Coordination at different universities.

Amy Mintz
Humanitarian & Resiliency Executive, Volunteer Advisor,American Red Cross International Services
American Red Cross

Amy is an emergency management executive with more than 25 years of experience leading emergency response operations, recovery and disaster risk reduction domestically and internationally. Most recently, Amy was with the American Red Cross serving as its Senior Director of Emergency Management, overseeing government partnerships and collaborating with senior federal officials on disaster preparedness, response and recovery activities. Amy previously served as the Senior Disaster Risk Reduction Officer with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) based in Geneva, Switzerland. Prior to that, Amy worked for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC & IFRC) movement, where she deployed to serve in numerous capacities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Serbia, Turkey, Russia, Israel and throughout Central Asia.

Among her accomplishments, Amy is most proud of her work supporting operations during Hurricane Katrina and Sandy; leading the Red Cross/Red Crescent contributions at the UN World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe, Japan on behalf of the IFRC; representing the IFRC as its readiness and disaster risk reduction expert in front of UN OCHA and UN ISDR; heading the Red Cross office in Bosnia and Herzegovina, receiving dignitaries such as President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Madeline Albright, and showing donors the positive impact of their generosity; negotiating and co-leading a successful bilateral agreement as Manager, Europe/Middle East/North Africa; and raising more than $30 million in support of humanitarian activities.

Dr. Miguelina Tactuk Rodríguez
Director of the National School of Risk Management
National Emergency Commission (CNE); Dominican Republic

Miguelina Tactuk is a Doctor of Medicine, with a Masters in Public Health (Epidemiology) and 31 years of professional practice. She has extensive experience in training and training processes in the subject of risk management to actors of different levels. Dr. Tactuk has served as an independent consultant for several agencies of the United Nations System, and is also a Teacher in Diplomas and Masters in public and private universities in the area of risk management to disasters. She is a collaborator in processes of elaboration, of instruments of management, and revision of the current regulation. Dr. Tactuk has been a specialist in risk management for the Ministry of the Presidency, and currently serves as Director of the National School of Risk Management.

Luis Gamarra
Regional Advisor in Recovery
UN Development Programme (UNDP)

Mr. Luis Gamarra. Geographer, MSc Urban Environmental Management (University of Wageningen, The Netherlands). More than 15 years of experience in disasters risk management in Central America and the Andean Region, working in NGO (Practical Action), research institutes (FLACSO Guatemala) and UNDP, among others. Experience in coordination of risk management projects (prevention, preparedness and post-disasters recovery), systematization and evaluation, and implementation of training programmes. Active member of LA RED, the Latin American Network of Social Studies in Disasters Risk Management.

COL Jose F. Melgarejo Jr
Chief, Civil Affairs Planning Detachment,J7 Theater Engagement Directorate
U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)

J. Frank Melgarejo Jr. is currently the Chief of the Theater Civil Affairs Planning Detachment at the United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) headquarters in Doral, Florida. His duties include, but are not limited to advising the Command on the employment and use of Civil Affairs forces in Latin America and the Caribbean. Previously, he was a resident student at the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania from July 2015 through June 2016 June 2016. His military assignments include Maintenance Platoon Leader, 520 Maintenance Company, Cp Humphreys, Korea; Logistics Platoon Leader, 348th Quartermaster Company, Cp Humphreys, Korea; Petroleum Supply Platoon Leader, 110th Quartermaster Company, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia; Battalion Adjutant, 260th Quartermaster Battalion, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia; Company Commander, Miami Recruiting Company, Miami, Florida; Eighth US Army Petroleum Operations Officer, Yong San, Korea; Company Commander, HHC, 23rd Area Support Group, Cp Humphreys, Korea; G3 Assistant Operations Officer, Combined Arms Center, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas; Civil Affairs Team Leader, Joint Special Operation Task Force Philippines; Chief, Civil Military Operation Center, Joint Special Operation Task Force Philippines; Battalion S3, 98th Civil Affairs Battalion, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina; Civil Affairs Deputy Branch Chief, United States Southern Command, Doral, Florida; Battalion Commander, United States Army Recruiting Battalion – Miami; Director of Operations (J3) for Joint Task Force- Bravo in Comayagua, Republic of Honduras; United States Army South Liaison Officer to USSOUTHCOM; and Chief of the Office of Security Cooperation in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Walter Cotte Witingan
Americas Regional Director
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

Walter has served over many years in a range of positions with the Colombian Red Cross including: Services Coordinator and Field Services Instructor, Head of Search and Rescue Team, Member of the Regional Board of Directors, Operations and Relief National Director, and finally as Chief Executive Officer. He has been a consultant to the United Nations (UNDRO, INSARAG/USAR and UNDAC), and served as IFRC Disaster Manager in Asia-Pacific. In 2013 Walter was appointed IFRC Under Secretary General for the Program Services Division in Geneva, responsible for management oversight of humanitarian response, risk reduction, health, logistics and migration at a global level. In mid-2015 Walter took up the post as IFRC’s Americas Regional Director.

Over the past 10 years Walter has been deeply involved in the formulation of policies, processes, programs and projects for Disaster Risk Management, Climate Change, Water and Sanitation, Livelihoods and Settlements, Shelter and Income Generation, and has led more than 50 international missions as an expert in global disaster management.

Tassilo Kuepper
Founder & Executive Director
UB-One Foundation

As the founder and director of the UB-ONE foundation, I believe that anyone who seeks to achieve the betterment of this world is our colleague, partner and friend. My six year international boarding school experience in the Czech Republic (Townshend International School) and an International Development studies at the University of Vienna, as well as my travels and living experiences in Europe, Africa and Southern America have shaped and formed my understating of unity and oneness. The spark that inspired the formation of this foundation has been ignited by the people that crossed my path representing many cultural backgrounds, beliefs and ethnicities, who had convinced me that all our actions and intentions do have an influence, either for good or for the detriment of others. The success of this foundation shall therefore rest on this belief in the oneness of humanity, and that such a belief constitutes the greatest antidote against separation, exploitation, economical and gender inequality, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, racism, and all of the other “isms” that are jeopardizing the progress of humanity. Hence, I believe in a strong network of like minded and a healthy distribution of resources is needed to enable those similar committed to action.

Sergio Murillo
Director
RED52

Sergio Murillo is co-founder and CEO of RED52, a Licensed Public Telecommunications network in Mexico. RED52 operates their teleport in Mexico City providing full teleport services for Video, Data, Voice, and Internet connectivity to Government and private sector customers. Mr. Murillo has over 30 years of experience in the Telecommunications, Satellite, and Cellular Industries. He has authored several books and trade magazine articles, and served on the boards of various trade associations. He is intimately familiar with the Latin American marketplace, and under his direction RED52 has consistently booked triple digit year on year revenue growth, while providing pro bono social services for qualified remote underserved areas. Mr. Murillo is actively involved in assisting governments throughout the region in the development of their telecommunications projects with a view to creating sustainable social benefits. To this end he is actively working on Teleeducation, Telemedicine, and e-government projects region wide.

Dr. Oscar Rojas
Natural Resources Officer (Agrometeorology),Climate, Energy and Tenure Division (NRC)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO); LAC

Oscar Rojas is currently a Natural Resources Officer of the Climate Impact and Adaptation of the Climate, Energy and Tenure Division (NRC) at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). He has more than 20 years of experience working in the field of crop monitoring and yield forecasting for food security projects at the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), FAO, World Bank and the Joint Research Centre of European Commission (JRC). In 2000 he worked as a consultant in the Crop Risk Management Group for the World Bank to develop weather indexed crop insurance scheme in Nicaragua with the objective to transfer the local-level risk to international insurance and capital markets. Main areas of work and interest include crop monitoring and early warning for food security, crop modeling, remote sensing, drought monitoring, risk management and development of tools to assess the impact of climate variability in agriculture. He holds a Ph.D. in Agrometeorology from the “Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon”; a MBA in Bank and Finance from National University, San Diego- California and BA in Agricultural Economics from the University of Costa Rica.

Alex Girón
Director of Cooperation
National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED); Guatemala

Serving as Director of Cooperation, Mr. Alex Efraín Girón Arana provides assistance and technical advice to both the Executive Secretary and the Undersecretaries, and other Directors of the institution, throughout the CONRED System. He identifies potential sources of national and international cooperation, channeling cooperation through the elaboration and execution of the respective cooperation plans, in the management of disaster risk reduction and humanitarian assistance needed within the work of CONRED. Mr. Girón serves to plan, coordinate, organize, direct, execute, monitor and evaluate the CONRED functions, and provide assistance, advice, cooperation, maintain coordination, articulation and permanent communication between the Directorates, to better perform the functions of the Executive Secretariat in support of CONRED.

Luz Tantaruna
Regional Emergency & Post Crisis Adviser for the Americas
IOM Regional Office for Central & North America and the Caribbean

Ms. Luz Tantaruna of Peruvian nationality, graduated in social sciences and with masters in: 1) Management of Social Projects and 2) Management of Supply Chain in Humanitarian Operations. She has 16 years of experience in emergency operations and reintegration of affected populations in several countries: Mozambique, Angola, Sudan, Iraq and since 2014 in Panama, as regional emergency and post crisis consultant for the Americas.

José Agustín Donderis Miranda
Director General
Sistema Nacional de Proteccion Civil (SINAPROC); Republic of Panama

Mr. José Donderis is the Director General of the National Civil Protection System of Panama (SINAPROC), and Panama’s Representative in the Council of Representatives, Central American Coordination Center for National Disaster Prevention (CEPREDENAC). Previously, Mr. Donderis served as SINAPROC's Regional Director for the Province of Chiriquí. Prior to this, he aided with medical visits to areas inhabited by indigenous people in the Provinces of Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro, conducted by a Christian church and also assisted in a Humanitarian Aid Mission program organized by U.S. churches. Earlier in his career, Mr. Donderis volunteered for 9 years with the Panamanian Red Cross. Mr. Donderis is married, holds a private pilot license (Enrique Malek Aviation School, Panama) and a B.S. in Business Administration, with concentration in Marketing.

Stephany Murillo
Regional Logistics Officer
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

Stephany is the Regional Logistics Officer for the IFRC Americas region; a result driven individual. She has worked in the private, academic and humanitarian sectors, since completing a Bachelor of International Commerce and Foreign Relations in Panama, her native country. She has more than 12 years of experience in Multimodal Logistics management, working for multinational companies, such as Maersk, LG Electronics and Hitachi. Stephany’s initial experience in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement started as a youth volunteer, back in 2000 with the Panamanian Red Cross. Since 2010 when Stephany joined the Federation, for the largest single-country response in Haiti, she has served IFRC for more than 6 years, not only supporting operations in the Americas, but also in the Asia Pacific Regional Office in Kuala Lumpur for the Nepal Earthquake operation. Despite the fact that Stephany started her assignment at a challenging time for the logistics unit, responding to the Haiti and Chile Earthquake operations and the 2010 hurricane season, she managed to perform her work with professionalism in various roles within the unit. Stephany plays a key role with several important actors, inside and outside the organization, with the primary objective of provide a high quality service and immediate response to IFRC operations.

Francisco Quesada
UNHRD Manager
UN Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) / 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. 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.

Dr. Juan Carlos Gustavo Alonso
Advisor in Emergency Preparedness & Disaster Relief for Central America Countries
Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO)

Juan Carlos Gustavo Alonso, M.D. is a General Surgeon with a PhD in Public Health, and is currently the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization's (PAHO/WHO) Advisor in Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief for Central America. Prior to this, he spent six years in Haiti as Chief Medical Officer of MINUSTAH (Stabilisation UN Mission in Haiti (2008 to 2011)) and Advisor in Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief (2011 to 2015). Before his time in Haiti, Dr. Alonso was Chief Medical Officer of the Central Air Force Hospital in Argentina.

Sergio Ferrero Febrel
Zika Operation Coordinator
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

Mr. Sergio Ferrero has worked in the Latin American region for 10 years in disaster preparedness and response, as well as the armed conflict framework in Colombia. Within his extensive work experience, we can highlight his work as a Regional Advisor for Humanitarian Action with the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) from 2008 to 2010 and his work as a United Nations official in Colombia from 2011 to 2013 as head of PAHO/WHO’s Emergency Disaster Program. His prior position with the IFRC was as an interim Coordinator for the Disaster Law Programme in the Americas for 7 months. He has also worked within the region as a WFP and ISDR Consultant, and he has been a member of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination System team in the Americas since 2008.

Dr. Adriana Yepes Mayorga
Regional Coordinator - ZIKA Emergency in LAC
World Vision LACRO

Adriana Yepes Mayorga works as Regional Coordinator for World Vision's Response to the ZIKA Emergency in Latin American and the Caribbean. She has 17 years of professional experience on educational, humanitarian and scientific programmes in Colombia, Brazil and Panama. She also has extensive experience with research and evidence base programs. She has worked in multi-sectorial initiatives with key-stakeholders involvement, community-based and participatory approaches. Adriana coordinated the World Humanitarian Summit process in LAC. She writes different kinds of high-quality publications and documents and promotes organizational learning and knowledge sharing. Adriana holds a Doctoral Degree in Science, from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Dr. Philippe Desmangles
Technical Counsellor
Ministry of Public Health and Population; Republic of Haiti

Dr. Philippe Desmangles is a Technical Counselor with the Ministry of Public Health and Population, Government of Haiti. Dr. Desmangles has been an orthopaedist since the age of 19 and has held a fellowship in disaster management for the past 10 years; he was part of the management team for two major floods, one earthquake and two health epidemics - cholera and chikungunya! Dr. Desmangles is a School of Medicine Dean and teaches in several other schools across Haiti. With WHO support, Dr. Desmangles has taught how to manage mass casualty damage in hospitals and how to prepare emergency plans 'plan rouge' and 'plan blanc'. He was also the Director of the Centre of Ambulances.

Dr. Guiteau Jean-Pierre
President
Haitian Red Cross

HIV, public health and youth have been central to Dr. Jean-Pierre’s professional background, with more than 30 years of experience as a clinician, scientist, teacher and administrator. After graduating with a Master’s Degree from the Temple University in Philadelphia, Dr. Jean-Pierre joined the Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation (ARTC) in Brooklyn where he conducted community surveys in order to determine health care needs and to recruit patients for a study on “Prevention of Perinatal HIV Transmission”. He became one of the main actors in setting up a research programme: The Prevention of Perinatal Transmission of the HIV Virus and Tuberculosis. Dr. Jean-Pierre served as Health Project Coordinator and Medical Director at the Center for Development and Health in Haiti from 1995 to 2006. Subsequently he joined the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) in Haiti, where he held various posts including Director of Human Resource Development, Director of Cabinet and Technical Adviser to several Ministers. Prior to becoming the President of the Haitian Red Cross Dr. Jean-Pierre served as their Executive Director. Over the years, Dr. Jean-Pierre has worked to determine the formal educational needs of employees and advised on the implementation of scholarship programmes for undergraduate students to receive basic medical training in Cuba. He has also developed technical cooperation with external agencies for the implementation of a model project IAEA of "Development of the technical infrastructure for a sustainable security capacity".