TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT COMMUNITIES IN THE AMERICAS COLLOQUIUM OF MAYORS ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY MIAMI, FLORIDA 3-4 December 2013

HACIA COMUNIDADES SOSTENIBLES Y RESISTENTES EN LAS AMÉRICAS

COLOQUIO DE ALCALDES ORGANIZACIÓN DE LOS ESTADOS AMERICANOS

UNIVERSIDAD INTERNACIONAL DE FLORIDA MIAMI, FLORIDA 3-4 Diciembre 2013

BIOGRAPHIES / BIOGRAFÍAS

Title Participant BIO

Climate

Change and Clean Energy

Adviser

USAID

Helen Fink

Strong professional multi-disciplinary experience, including in the fields of

sustainable development, climate change mitigation/adaptation, urban planning, community

and economic development, program and project design/implementation/management. Strong capacity working with multi-sector stakeholders: governments, private sector, civil

society, international organizations involving strategic and project planning, policy

analysis/recommendations, structuring public-private partnerships. - Geographic experience: Latin America/Caribbean Basin, Europe/SEE, NIS/Central Asia,

United States

- Strong communicator, multi-lingual (English, Spanish, German)

Goal: Join team of experts working on sustainability of urban environments -Urban Climate Change Advisor U.S. Agency for International Development EGAT/I&E/UP May 2011 – Present (2 years 7 months) E3/Office of Energy and Infrastructure/Urban and Engineering

Housing &

Urban

Development

Senior Specialist

Michael G.

Donovan

Michael G. Donovan is an urban planner and international civil servant

concerned about global housing and local government issues. He is currently the Senior Housing and Urban Development Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank where

he provides technical leadership for the design, implementation and evaluation of urban and

housing development projects. Previously he held staff positions at USAID and the OECD, which, as with the IADB, he entered through open competition. Under the aegis of these

organizations, Donovan has developed new institutional policies on urban assistance and

assisted mayors in assessing their metropolitan economic and governance policies.

Donovan assists policymakers to translate complex research into national urban strategies and international policy agendas. He has held research appointments at Harvard Law School,

Fundação Getulio Vargas, the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions, UN-Habitat (Brazil), the

Legal Resources Centre (Ghana), United Nations Development Programme (Costa Rica), and

the Environmental Protection Authority of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. His work has appeared in six languages and includes fifteen co-authored OECD books, including Cities and

Climate Change and Metropolitan Reviews of Cape Town, Chicago, Chihuahua/Ciudad Juárez,

Copenhagen, Gauteng/Johannesburg, Guangdong, Toronto, and Venice/Treviso. The

Fulbright Scholarship Board, along with the National Science Foundation and the American

Association for the Advancement of Science, have supported his applied research. He holds a Ph.D. from the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of

California, Berkeley, a Master of City Planning (MCP) from M.I.T., and a BA in economics from

Notre Dame.

World urban

Forum - WUF7

Medellin,

Colombia

Ricardo Jose

Arango

RICARDO JOSE ARANGO: El alcalde de Medellín, Aníbal Gaviria Correa, nombró en marzo de 2013 a Ricardo José Arango Restrepo como gerente del Foro Urbano

Mundial, que tendrá lugar en Abril de 2014 en MEDELLIN. Ricardo Jose Arango es economista, tiene especializaciones en Gerencia Financiera, Negocios Internacionales y ha

ocupado cargos directivos en EPM. También trabajó para la administradora de fondos de

pensiones y cesantías Porvenir, BBVA Horizonte, Pensiones y Cesantías y actualmente es parte

del departamento de Talento Humano de Industrias Haceb.

Senior

Development

Technologist

USAID

Joshua Haynes

Joshua Haynes serves as a development technologist with the Civil Society

and Media Team (CSM) with a specific focus on democracy and internet-related initiatives.

Most recently, Joshua was a development technologist at DAI, working on ICT-related projects

in Jamaica, Belize, Haiti, Tunisia and Libya in the areas of stability, democracy and mobile financial services. Joshua has also been involved in technology implementation projects

across Europe, as well as international development-focused ICTs projects in Africa, Central

America, the Caribbean and South Asia, focusing on the areas of banking, tax, agriculture,

literacy, election monitoring, microfinance, community-based savings, community development, applications for development, and the mobile gender gap. Prior to joining the

Democracy Fellows Program, Joshua also previously worked in the private sector in software

consulting and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco. He speaks a number of languages

including Arabic, French and Spanish. Joshua Haynes received a M.A. of International Business from The Fletcher School, Tufts University.

Safe access to information is key to speeding up the poverty alleviation and fundamental for

ensuring people can express their human rights.

Joshua, a Senior Development Technologist + Media Adviser at USAID, focuses on the nexus

of technology, media, civil society, Internet freedom, information security and democracy,

rights and governance. Previously, he was involved in the private sector, working in analytics

and technology consulting across Europe, as well as on international development-focused ICT

projects in Sub-Saharan and North Africa, Central America, the Caribbean and South Asia, in

the areas of media, new media, civil society, stability, democracy, apps, the mobile gender gap

and financial inclusion.

Joshua received his Bachelors of Business Administration from Boston University and a

Master's of International Business from The Fletcher School, Tufts University. There, he

focused on the business of technology in international development, primarily on the role of

telecoms and mobile phones in poverty alleviation. Joshua speaks a number of languages

including Arabic (Modern Standard and Maghrebi), French, German and Spanish.

The goal is simple: get more people more safe access to more better and more reliable

information, so that they can make more informed decisions about their own societies and

livelihoods while maintaining more self dignity.

Bureau of

Oceans and International

Environmenta

l and Science

State Department

Fernando

Echavarria

Foreign Affairs Officer, Bureau of Oceans, Env. & Science U.S. Department of State Government Agency; 10,001+ employees; International Affairs industry

1997 – Present (16 years) SA-23, #410, Washington, DC 20006

Fernando R. Echavarria's Education

University of South Carolina Ph.D., Geography 1989 – 1993 Stanford University B.Sc., Energy

Resources Engineering 1977 – 1981

Websites: RSS feed

Interests: Remote sensing, geospatial and geothermal technologies, and international science

and technology partnerships Groups and Associations: American Geophysical Union Association of American Geographers

Geothermal Resources Council International Geothermal Association

Honors and Awards: Meritorious Honor Award, US Department of State 2005, 2002

AAAS Science & Engineering Diplomacy Fellow, 1997-2000 Sigma Xi, University of South Carolina, 1991

Lovingood Graduate Research Award, USC, 1990

Geography Intern, National Geographic Society, 1988

Expert Colombia

Gilberto Antonio Toro

Giraldo

Abogado, especializado en Derecho Administrativo en la Universidad de Medellín. Es experto en Descentralización y Autonomía política y fiscal, es gestor del

fortalecimiento de la defensa de los intereses comunes de los municipios colombianos y de la integración de los mandatarios locales en Colombia. Ha proyectado a nivel nacional e

internacional la Federación Colombiana de Municipios, entidad que asocia a más de mil

alcaldes del país.

Se ha desempeñado como Secretario Alterno del Capítulo Latinoamericano de la Unión de Autoridades Locales, IULA/CELCADEL, es miembro del Consejo Consultivo de la Sociedad Civil

del BID, de la Red Latinoamericana de Entidades de Capacitación y actúa como representante

delegado en más de quince entidades del orden nacional. Actualmente está proyectando la

integración de las Federaciones y Asociaciones de Municipios en la Federación Latinoamericana de Ciudades, Municipios y Asociaciones, FLACMA.

Ha promovido más de 70 Consejos Ejecutivos de alcaldes en diversas partes de Colombia y

más de cien encuentros departamentales de alcaldes. Ha dirigido congresos nacionales entre otros: “Los alcaldes hablan Colombia los oye”, “Cumbre Nacional de Alcaldes por la Vida”,

“Los alcaldes Hablan de Paz”, “Los alcaldes por la vida la dignidad y el respeto”, “Los alcaldes

por una gestión pública transparente”, “Los alcaldes en riesgo”, “Primera cumbre nacional de

Primeras damas municipales”,“Primer Congreso Nacional de alcaldesas y concejalas”. El Director Ejecutivo, Gilberto Toro ha sido el gestor de importantes logros para el

fortalecimiento de la descentralización principalmente, el reconocimiento del periodo

institucional de los alcaldes por cuatro años el cual tendrá vigencia a partir de la próxima

elección popular de alcaldes. El Dr. Toro, ha participado entre diversos seminarios referentes a la temática municipal, en la

Conferencia Interamericana de Alcaldes y Autoridades Locales de la Universidad de Miami

Florida, en la Asamblea Anual de la Red Latinoamericana de entidades de Capacitación Municipal, Rosario, Argentina; en el Congreso de la Unión Internacional de Autoridades

Locales de la Federación Mundial de Ciudades Unidas y en la Asamblea del Movimiento

Mundial por la Democracia.

Tiene la experiencia de haber sido alcalde de Jericó Antioquia durante dos periodos consecutivos y recibió el honor al “Mejor alcalde de los municipios pequeños” de Antioquia.

En este mismo departamento se desempeñó como Secretario Privado del gobernador,

Secretario para la juventud, Subsecretario de gobierno, Secretario de gobierno encargado así

como Secretario del Concejo de Medellín.

Mayor City of Cogua

Colombia

Nestor Guerrero

Mayor City of

La Vega Colombia

Gratiniano

Suarez

TITULOS ACADEMICOS OBTENIDOS: ABOGADO DE LA UNIVERSIDAD EXTERNADO DE COLOMBIA 1.988 – 1992

ESPECIALISTA EN DERECHO ADMINISTRATIVO UNIVERSIDAD EXTERNADO DE COLOMBIA JULIO 2003 – JULIO 2004

ASPIRANTE A MAGISTER EN DERECHO DEL MEDIO AMBIENTE

UNIVERSIDAD EXTERNADO DE COLOMBIA

JULIO DE 2010 – JULIO DE 2012 CARGOS DESEMPEÑADOS:

MINISTERIO DE JUSTICIA Y EL DERECHO : TECNICO ADMINISTRATIVO SECRETARIA GENERAL

ENERO 1993 – ENERO 1995.

PERSONERO MUNICIPAL MUNICIPIO LA VEGA CUNDINAMARCA MARZO 2 DE 1995 – 1997 PERSONERO MUNICIPAL MUNICIPIO DE LA VEGA CUNDINAMARCA 1998 -2000

PERSONERO MUNICIPAL MUNICIPIO DE LA VEGA CUNDINAMARCA 2001 – 2003

ALCALDE MUNICIPAL LA VEGA CUNDINAMARCA PERIODO 2004 – 2007 GOBERNACION DE CUNDINAMARCA DIRECTOR SERVICIOS ADMINISTRATIVOS FEBRERO DE

2008 – AGOSTO DE 2009

CORPORACION AUTONOMA REGIONAL CAR JEFE OFICNIA PROVINCIAL VILLETA SEPTIEMBRE

2009 – FEBRERO 2011 ACUALMENTE ALCALDE MUNICIPAL LA VEGA CUNDINAMARCA

PERIODO 2012 – 2015

Mayor City of

Zipaquirá Colombia

Marco Tulio

Sanchez

Mayor City of

Nocaima

Colombia

Amparo Garzon

Cifuentes

Colombia - Amparo Garzón Cifuentes

Contadora Pública Titulada Docente de matemáticas y física durante 26 años al servicio de la educación pública en

Bogotá.

Concejal del Municipio de Nocaima

Alcaldesa de Nocaima, periodo 2001 - 2003

Subgerente Administradora Nueva Ciudad, empresa familiar. 2004 - 2011 Actualmente Alcaldesa Municipio de Nocaima

Mayor City of

Cajicá

Colombia

Oscar M.

Bejarano

Economista con experiencia en administración y en manejo de personal servicio al cliente,

procesos comerciales, conocimiento informática telecomunicaciones, trabajo con la

comunidad y el sector publico. Alta capacidad de administrar procesos, diseñar estrategias y

generar respuestas creativas para el logro de objetivos. Habilidades de liderazgo, trabajo en equipo y buen manejo de relaciones interpersonales resistencia y buen manejo del trabajo

bajo presión.

Mayor City of

Albuquerque New Mexico

Richard J. Perry

Mayor Richard J. Berry was sworn into office on December 1st, 2009. Prior

to serving as Albuquerque's chief executive officer, he was twice elected to the New Mexico Legislature. Mayor Berry is also an accomplished business entrepreneur with over two

decades of experience in New Mexico and throughout the Southwest United States. He

earned his degree in finance and administration at the University of New Mexico and was a letterman on the Lobo track and field team, specializing in the decathlon. Since his election in

late 2009, Mayor Berry has successfully worked to drop the crime rate in Albuquerque to

some of the lowest levels in 20 years and has brought the City to the national forefront for

transparency and accountability. He has cut the size of local Government while keeping city employees on the job and services to the community intact. He has accomplished this without

raising taxes and has consistently worked to provide value for taxpayers.

Mayor City of

Akron, Ohio

Don Plusquellic

Donald L. Plusquellic (born July 3, 1949) is the current mayor of Akron, Ohio. First elected in 1987, he became the 59th Mayor of Akron after previously serving 13 years on

Akron City Council. Plusquellic is currently serving his seventh term, making him the longest-serving mayor of the city. First sworn in as Mayor in 1987, Don Plusquellic’s career in public

service now spans five decades. And his dedication and work for his community have brought

Akron greater opportunity and prepared it well for the future. The Mayor’s most important

mission, along with improving education, has been securing and fortifying Akron’s economic future. Still in its early stages, the Biomedical Corridor holds a key to the city’s economic

future. For the economy and jobs of the future, Mayor Plusquellic is attracting health-related

companies to Akron by using more than 1,200 acres of private and publicly owned land that is

also home to Children's Hospital, Akron General Medical Center, Summa's Akron City Hospital, the University of Akron, the University Park Alliance neighborhood and most of downtown.

Citing Akron as one of the most successful cities between the eastern seaboard and Chicago,

The Brookings Institution calls Akron an economic-recovery model for other cities to follow. As much as Akron’s economic future depends upon jobs, it also depends upon education and

learning programs that will match employees with employers. Mayor Plusquellic continues

Akron’s long-range educational improvement program buoyed by the rebuilding of all of its

public school buildings in an $800 million investment project spearheaded by the Mayor. Countless awards and honors have been bestowed upon Mayor Plusquellic in his career.

During the past year, he received the 2009 Urban Hero Award from the Coalition of Urban

Serving Universities. At the 122nd Annual Meeting of the Association of Public Land Grant Universities, Mayor Plusquellic was recognized for his "longstanding commitment to the City

of Akron and innovative leadership in advancing model alliances between the City, the

University of Akron and other key organizations to revitalize Akron." Also in ’09, the Institute

for Global Leadership at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts presented Plusquellic with its annual Mayer Global Citizenship Award. The honor recognizes those who have

dedicated themselves to solving the most pressing problems facing the world. Last August,

Don Plusquellic participated in the Annual Peace Memorial Day Ceremony in Hiroshima, Japan

on behalf of all mayors in the United States. Plusquellic is not only past president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, but serves as vice president for the Mayor for Peace, an international

organization representing 2,870 cities in 134 countries. As a testament to his leadership, the

Mayor received---in 2009---the City Livability Award. The annual honor from the U.S. Conference of Mayors recognizes community leadership. The National Civic League has also

named Akron an All America City. And in acknowledging the Mayor for his outstanding

dedication to economic development in the public sector, the International Economic

Development Council (IEDC) presented its Annual Leadership Award for Public Service to Mayor Plusquellic in 2008. Akron has a mayor who has worked at the invitation of President

Barack Obama to assist in crafting an economic stimulus plan to aid the ailing national

economy. The Mayor has also worked with the Obama Transition Team and the U.S.

Conference of Mayors to aid in the effort toward getting much-needed monies to American cities. Previously, Mayor Plusquellic had been called upon for national service by President

George W. Bush and then-Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge as a member of a national

task force following the attack on September 11, 2001. He was credited with helping create the funding mechanism now used to ensure appropriate monies are allocated to

communities. Mayor Plusquellic has two children and six grandchildren.

Mayor City of

Des Moines, Iowa

Franklin

Cownie

Thomas Michael Franklin "Frank" Cownie (born 1948) is the current mayor of Des Moines, Iowa in the United States.

He owns and operates a Cownie Furs, a store that has been

in his family for generations. He assumed office in January 2004.

Cownie is a Des Moines native. He grew up on the city's west side, attending Theodore

Roosevelt High School and Iowa State University. He came from a political family; both of his parents served on the city's school board.

Prior to serving as mayor, he served for two years as an at-large member of the Des Moines

City Council. He also served several terms on the Planning and Zoning Commission and was chairman of Downtown Des Moines, Inc.

While Iowa's city elections are non-partisan, Cownie is a Democrat.

A lifetime resident of Des Moines, Mayor Cownie has a long history of civic leadership and

community involvement. Prior to joining the Des Moines City Council, Cownie served three terms as chairman of Downtown Des Moines Incorporated, (DDI) an affiliate of the Greater

Des Moines Partnership and five terms as the chairman of the City of Des Moines Plan and

Zoning Commission.

Cownie’s focus in his second term as Mayor is to continue to promote the City’s goal of creating a sustainable green community for future generations. He established the Des

Moines Energy and Environmental Task Force, and his efforts have paid off with the

announcement that Des Moines has been selected as the site of only one of four regional centers for the study and measurement of environmental factors. Other recent successes

include partnerships to re-forest the city, and the receipt of a federal grant to purchase a fleet

of energy-efficient hybrid, and hydrogen-powered, automobiles.

Cownie is also rapidly gaining national recognition through his leadership roles with the U.S.

Conference of Mayors. Cownie was one of only eight U.S. mayors chosen to formulate regional environmental policies for American cities through his work with the international

group, Local Governments for Sustainability.

Named one of the nations “cool mayors” by the Mayors for Climate Protection, Mayor Cownie

believes in looking to the future. Asked about his unfaltering work on environmental initiatives, he says: "I do this because I have a moral compass that tells me it’s the right thing

to do. It’s not about me. In my heart and in my head I know it’s the right thing for the future

of our children, for our city, for our state and for this country, if not the world."

Mayor of Roseau/St.

George

Dominica

Cecil Joseph

Mayor of

Patzun

Guatemala

Mardoqueo

Cancax Sacach

Mardoqueo Cancax, mayor of Patzún, Guatemala since

2012, is a proponent of effective democratic governance and citizen engagement. As the

mayor of Patzún, Mr. Cancax has been working to bridge the gap between his government and his constituency by using his municipality’s limited resources to develop

innovative ways to incorporate low-cost, high-impact information and communication

technologies (ICTs) into his governing strategies. Mr. Cancax took the initiative to provide free

Wi-Fi in the town square, open a Digital Community Center for residents and actively educates regional municipal leaders on the benefits of ICTs and how they can be used to

constructively communicate with citizens. Mr. Cancax also serves as Vice President of the

Guatemalan Association of Mayors and Indigenous Authorities.

Mayor Georgetown

Guyana

Hamilton Green

Hamilton Green, born November 9, 1934, in Georgetown, Guyana, is also the Mayor of Georgetown. In 2003, he was one of the most prominent people to attend

the Summit of World Leaders sponsored by Sun Myung Moon. He is a member of the

presiding council of the Universal Peace Federation. High School: Saint Stanislaus College

University: Queen's College Georgetown

Guyanese Mayor Georgetown (1994 Prime Minister of Guyana (6-Aug-1985 to 9-Oct-1992) Guyana Minister First Deputy Prime Minister (1983-85) Guyanese Official Vice President

(1980-83) Good and Green Guyana Party (1993-) People's National Congress (Guyana) General

Secretary (1962-74) Universal Peace Federation

Mayor of Belize City

Belize

Darrell Bradley

Darrell Bradley was elected Mayor of Belize City on 7 March, 2012.

Darrell is an Attorney-at-law and lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Open Campus (Belize). Darrell worked formerly for Young’s Law Firm in Belize City practicing in the areas of

corporate, commercial and contract law.

Darrell earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree majoring in sociology and international studies and a Master of Arts Degree majoring in Public Administration from Saint Louis (Jesuit) University in

Missouri in the United States of America. He later earned a Bachelor of Law Degree from the

University of the West Indies in Barbados and a Certificate of Legal Education from the

Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica. While pursing his education, Darrell earned several awards for academic achievement, leadership and community service. He also authored

Development or Demise: a Look at the Mayan Claim to Aboriginal Title in Belize (Student Law

Review, University of the West Indies, 2005).

Darrell was formerly a Director of Youth for the United Democratic Party. He also served as Vice President of the Belize Bar Association from February, 2011 to February, 2012 and he

was a Member of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Belize for the years 2008 to

2012. Darrell is also a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honor and Service Fraternity. As Mayor, Darrell has emphasized restoring confidence in the city council focusing on

transparency and accountability in governance and also on generating new revenue streams

to fund infrastructure programs. Darrell is keen on building partnerships with the private

sector and community groups and putting forward a comprehensive plan that has buy-in from all stakeholders.

Darrell is an active member of Eagle’s Nest International Church. He is married to Julie-Ann

Ellis Bradley, who is also a practicing Attorney in Belize.

Vice Chairman of

the Building

and Town

Planning Committee

Jamaica

Patrick Roberts

Mayor of

Castries Saint Lucia

Shirley Lewis