An agricultural engineer, Marcelo Regunaga holds a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Paris-Sorbonne, where he also completed the courses of the Third Cycle (Doctoral) Program. An agricultural economist, he has experience in projects, competitiveness and international negotiations. He serves as an academic coordinator and professor at the Business Education Center of the University of San Andres, and as a professor in the Agribusiness and Food Master’s Program of the University of Buenos Aires. He has worked as a postgraduate professor at the Entre Ríos National University (UNER) and the National University of the South (UNS), as well as in the Fruit Agribusiness Program in Río Negro. He works as an independent consultant and manager of agribusinesses. He has served as a consultant to national and international organizations (IFC, UNDP, OAS, ECLAC, IICA, IDB, the World Bank, IFAD, the European Commission, FAO, USAID, CIMMYT and CIAT).
HEMISPHERIC PROGRAMS ADVISORY GROUP (RED CIRCLE) AND TECHNICAL SPECIALIST NETWORK (GRAY CIRCLE)
For the development and implementation of its technical cooperation model, IICA has a group of high-level advisers who provide professional guidance in the conceptual development and implementation of the main tasks and programmatic objectives. Their areas of expertise include: international trade, bioeconomy, territorial development and family farming; circular agriculture and climate change, among others. Due to their international experience, they also provide general guidance and advice on technical cooperation, contribute directly to the strengthening of our strategic alliances and, fundamentally, actively collaborate in achieving the knowledge management that the Institute leads and is fundamental in the current cooperation model.
-Hemispheric Programs Advisory Group (red circle)
MARCELO REGUNAGA
ARGENTINA – BIOECONOMY
ANTONIO DE OLIVEIRA
BRAZIL – BIOECONOMY
Antonio de Oliveira holds a Doctorate in Chemical Engineering from Aston University in Birmingham, United Kingdom, as well as a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Federal University of Parà (UFPA) in Belem, Brazil. He has extensive experience in environmental technology, biofuel production and biorefinery, thermal conversion of biomass, chemical balance, renewable energies, process simulation (Aspen Plus), energy efficiency, hydrogen production using hydrocarbons, CO2 capture processes, reactive flow in fixed and fluidized bed reactors, and energy forecasting scenarios.
CARLOS POMAREDA
PERU – BIOECONOMY
An agricultural engineer, Carlos Pomareda holds a Doctoral degree in Agricultural Economics, and has extensive experience in economics, trade and management in the field of agriculture. He served as the Director of IICA’s Policy Program from 1987 to 1993. Since 1994, he has been the Manager of International Services for Business Development and the Corporate Manager of Corporación Ganadera Los Laureles. He has also served as a consultant for governments, companies, private sector organizations and international organizations.
CAROLINA TRIVELLI
PERU – TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT
Carolina Trivelli holds a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Pennsylvania State University. She graduated as an economist from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP). She currently works as a senior researcher at the Institute of Peruvian Studies (IEP) and as a consultant for various international organizations. She served as the Minister of Development and Social Inclusion of Peru from 2011 to 2013. In Peru, she forms part of the Board of Directors of KUNAN, Sembrando Juntos, the civil association Transparencia, Proética and Sepia. At the international level, she is a member of the Board of Directors of the Busara Center for Behavioral Economics and forms part of the Advisory Committee of the Id4D initiative (World Bank); she also chairs the International Advisory Council of the Latin American Center for Rural Development (RIMISP). She is a member of the Advisory Committee of Aequales and of the PUCP School of Management. She also forms part of the Advisory Commission for the Estimation of Poverty of the National Institute of Statistics (INEI) of Peru and of the Fiscal Council of Peru. She is a columnist for the Economics section of El Comercio newspaper and a member of the editorial committee of Hacer Perú.
JOSÉ EMILIO GUERRERO
SPAIN – TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT
José Emilio Guerrero holds a Doctoral degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Córdoba (Spain). He is a professor at the Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering (ETSIAM) of the University of Córdoba and a scholarship recipient of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) of Spain. He is a visiting professor in the School of Agricultural, Veterinary and Forestry Sciences of the University of Chile. He is the author of numerous publications on topics related to animal production, the environment and rural development, as well as R+D projects. He is the Deputy Director of External Relations at ETSIAM, and oversees the Erasmus and Tempus student and teacher exchange programs..
DESIREE ELIZONDO
NICARAGUA – CLIMATE CHANGE
Desiree Elizondo holds Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Soil and Water Sciences from the University of California, Davis. She was a visiting professor at Stanford University from 1997 to 1998; during that period, her areas of research and study were institutional development processes, State-civil society relations, public accountability and government transparency. From 1998 to 1999, she taught at the University of Berkeley, where she conducted research on sustainable water management, environmental impact assessment procedures in Latin America, and the water economy. She has 25 years of experience in evaluation and monitoring programs and projects.
CAROL THOMAS
JAMAICA – AHFS
Carol Thomas holds an Executive Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of the West Indies, a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Sciences and a Diploma in Education. She served as an International Specialist in Agricultural Health and Food Safety in the IICA Delegation in Barbados. She coordinated IICA’s agricultural health and food safety actions for the Caribbean and collaborated with various technical cooperation agencies in the Caribbean Region. Her areas of expertise include sanitary and phytosanitary measures and related issues, food safety, good agricultural practices, capacity building and institutional modernization. She is currently retired from IICA and is available for short term consultancies in the various areas mentioned above.
GRETCHEN STANTON
UNITED STATES – AHFS
Gretchen Stanton holds a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Arizona. At the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland, she serves as a Senior Counsellor, Secretary of the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures, and Deputy Director of the Agriculture and Commodities Division. She is responsible for overseeing all aspects of WTO work related to the implementation of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement).
CASSIO LUISELLI FERNÁNDEZ
MEXICO – DIRECTORATE OF TECHNICAL COOPERATION
Cassio Luiselli holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. He obtained his Master of Science degree and pursued doctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin, specializing in Agricultural Economics, Rural Development and International Economics. He also has a Ph.D. from the University of South Africa, Pretoria. He is a Professor Emeritus of the Humanities division of the Monterrey Institute of Technology– Mexico City Campus (ITESM). He was a former advisor to the President of the Republic on agricultural development (1967–1970). He has also served as Mexico’s Ambassador to South Korea, South Africa and Uruguay; as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Mexico to ALADI; and as Under-Secretary for Development and Environmental Regulation (SEMARNAT).
JAMES FLETCHER
SAINT LUCIA – CLIMATE CHANGE
James Fletcher was the Saint Lucian Minister of Public Service, Information, Broadcasting, Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology from 2011 to 2016. He has served as Managing Director of Soloricon Ltd., Director of Social and Sustainable Development at the Secretariat of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Cabinet Secretary to the Cabinet of the Government of Saint Lucia, and Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. His areas of specialization include public policies, agricultural policies, policy analysis, public administration, strategic planning, rural development, environmental management, human and social development, capacity building, sustainable development, project management, climate change, qualitative research, data analysis, international development, government issues, governance diplomacy and international relations.
MARÍA BEATRIZ GIRAUDO
ARGENTINA – CLIMATE CHANGE
María Beatriz Giraudo holds a postgraduate degree in Senior Management of Agribusinesses and Food from the School of Agronomy (FAUBA) of the National University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. She graduated as an agricultural engineer from the National University of Rosario in Santa Fe, Argentina. She is an advisor in the Business Advisory Council of the Libertad Rosario foundation in Santa Fe, Argentina. She is one of the founders and a member of the Board of Directors of the MANÁ association in Venado Tuerto, Santa Fe, which is an NGO that works together with both the public and private sectors and is one of the centers of the CONIN Network for the Prevention of Malnutrition and Human Development. She is also a co-founder and member of the Board of Directors of the Venado Tuerto Foodbank (BAVT), which forms part of the Argentinean Foodbank Network and the Global Foodbanking Network (www.redbancosdealimentos.org). She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the CONIN Foundation in Mendoza, Argentina (www.conin.org.ar).
FÉLIX PEÑA
ARGENTINA – TRADE
Félix Peña is a specialist in international economic relations, international trade law and economic integration. He holds a Doctoral degree in Law from the University of Madrid and is the Director of the International Trade Institute of the ICBC Foundation in Argentina (https://www.fundacionicbc.com.ar/). He previously served as Undersecretary of Foreign Trade at the Ministry of the Economy of Argentina and was a full member of the Common Market Group of Mercosur. He has formed part of the list of Argentinean arbitrators of the mechanism for the settlement of disputes of the Mercosur- Olivos Protocol, the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
-Technical Specialist Network (gray circle)
Bioeconomy and Production Development
LUCÍA PITTALUGA
Ms. Pittaluga is an economist and graduate of the Faculty of Economics and Administration (FCEA-Universidad de la República (UdelaR), Uruguay), with an M.Sc. in Economic Development from the Institut d'étude du développement économique et social Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne- Universidad de Picardie, France. She is a Professor of Innovation Economics (Master’s level) and of Economic Development Theories (undergraduate level) at the FCEA and has been an Associate Professor at the Institute of Economics, FCEA, UdelaR, since July 2019.
She is a specialist in production development and technological innovation and has provided research and consultancy services for ECLAC, UNESCO, IDB, World Bank and UNDP. She was formerly the Deputy Director of the Budget and Planning Office (OPP); an advisor to the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining; a Director of the National Innovation and Research Agency; an advisor on Inclusive Growth to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and a coordinator and researcher for the economic development research team at the Institute of Economics (FCEA).
RAFAEL ARAMENDIS
Pharmaceutical Chemist, M.Sc. Mr. Aramendis has twenty-nine years of experience in both the public and private sectors, leading and supporting innovation and technology transfer in biotechnology and agrifood companies, specifically in matters related to intellectual property rights (IPRs), access to genetic resources, biosecurity and international negotiation in relation to the environment. Topic areas include biological diversity, the Cartagena Protocol on Biosecurity and Andean Decisions on Industrial Property. He has also been an advisor on scientific issues to government institutions, academia and the private sector.
He has had public sector experience in development (more than 10 years) at COLCIENCIAS (Colombian Institute of Science and Technology) and private sector experience (14 years) in multinational and regional agrifood companies (in the seed, agrochemical, transgenic, sugar and biofuel industries).
He is currently a partner in a consultancy firm, supporting public and private sector efforts in areas such as science, technology and innovation (for international and national clients).
ELIZABETH HODSON
Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Sciences of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Bogotá, Colombia); corresponding member of the Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Honorary Fellow of the Scientific Committee of la Fondazione Scuola Medica Salernitana (Italy); Visiting Professor for the Doctorate in Bioethics program at the Universidad del Museo Social Argentino and the Universidad El Bosque (Colombia); member of the Ad-Hoc Technical Expert Group (AHTEG) on Risk Assessment and Risk Management under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (Convention on Biological Diversity); and a member of the UNESCO’s World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST). She has a Ph.D. from the University of Nottingham in the areas of Botany and plant genetic manipulation. Dr. Hodson is also an international consultant for biodiversity, agro- biotechnology and biosafety of GMOs. She has edited more than 19 books, 26 scientific chapters in books and more than 50 scientific articles. Dr. Hodson is also a part of the Mission of Sages and has newly been appointed as a Chair of IICA.
CLAUDIA BETANCUR GIRALDO
Food Engineer, Specialist in Corporate Foresight, with a Diploma in Technological Marketing and a Diploma in Incubator and Accelerator Management. Ms. Betancur also holds an M.Sc. in Technology Management and Innovation.
She is a sectoral expert in innovation, business modelling, entrepreneurship, market intelligence, network and cluster Management, bio-business acceleration and project management, with more than 18 years of applied experience in the agriculture, food, cosmetics, natural ingredients and biotechnology sectors, where she managed public and private sector programs and projects that benefitted more than 300 SMEs in these sectors.
She was a manager and program director in a food technology development center, for 4 years; in the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce, for 7 years; and at BIOINTROPIC, for 7 years. She carries out strategic assessments and analyses in the horticulture, natural ingredients, cosmetics, palm, biotechnology and bioeconomy sectors, and has undertaken consultancy assignments for various international agencies, such as UNIDO, CAF, the World Bank and IICA. Ms. Betancur has also attended national and international conferences on innovation in the BIO sectors and was a member of various technology and trade missions in more than 10 international trade fairs. She is an active member of the National Council on Science, Technology and Biotechnology Innovation, as a representative of the private sector; as well as of the National Technical Biotechnology Committee of SENA; the Natural Ingredients and Cosmetics Committee of Andi; working groups in the Colombia BIO Program, the Red de Centros de Desarrollo de negocios de Ruta N, and the Biocommerce Ethics Union – UEBT. She is currently the Executive Director of BIOINTROPIC, Colombia’s first accelerator, and innovation and biotechnology business center.
ROBERTO BISAN
Magister in Economics (Universidad Centro Estudios Macroeconómicos, Argentina). His areas of interest include industrial organization, technology and sectoral analysis. Mr. Bisan is a researcher for the IIEP and a Senior Lecturer in Economics. He was the Coordinator of the 2018 National Agricultural Census and National Director of Statistics for the Primary Sector – National Statistics and Census Institute, INDEC (November 2017 and April 2019). He has served as a consultant for various international organizations (ECLAC, World Bank, IDB, PAHO, WHO, UNIDO, FAO); national organizations (MINAGRO, INTA, MINCYT) and companies.
Territorial Development and Family
LAUTARO VISCAY
M.Sc. in Food and Agribusiness, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, FCA. His areas of focus include institution building, as well as public policies for rural development and family farming. Current position: 2019 - present. Uruguayan Cooperative Center. Consultant in rural development and institution building, cooperativism and family farming. 2019 – present. Uruguayan Confederation of Cooperatives (CUDECOOP). Partnership management and fund development. Relevant positions: 2012-2019. Technical Secretary, Specialized Meeting on Family Farming (REAF). 2007-2012. Member of the Technical Team of the IFAD-MERCOSUR Coordination Unit .
RAFAEL ECHEVERRI
B.Sc. in Political and Administrative Sciences; Public Administrator; and graduate of the Escuela Superior de Administración Pública (ESAP), Colombia. His areas of focus include management of rural territories, family farming, institutional structures for rural development, public planning and policies, rural extension. He is currently an international consultant in Territorial Management; a Visiting Researcher at the Universidad de Córdoba, Spain; and Coordinator of the Territorial Management Network for Rural Development, Mexico.
ÁLVARO RAMOS
Agricultural Engineer, Universidad de la República Oriental, Uruguay. Mr. Ramos holds a Specialist Diploma in Investment Policies for Development, Konrad Adenauer Foundation. His areas of focus include family farming, planning and public policy, and project management.
Current position: 2014 – present. Consultant to the Latin American Center of Human Economics (CLAEH), Uruguay, in the area of Public Policy for Rural Territorial Development. Nov. 2018 – present. Advisor to the regional Territorial Development and Family Farming Program of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). March 2020 – present. Member of the Advisory Council for Food Security in the Americas (IICA). Relevant positions: 2000 – 2018 Coordinator of IFAD’s Regional Program for MERCOSUR, on Public Policies for Family Farming, Rural Development and Poverty Reduction. 1995 – 2000 Senator Elect of the Republic. 1995 - 1998 Minister of Foreign Affairs, Uruguay. 1990 - 1993 Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, Uruguay. Consultant to the following international organizations: ALADI, IFAD; FAO; IICA; UNIDO; and IDB.
ARILSON FAVARETO
Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences. Thesis topic: Paradigms in Rural Development – from Agriculture to Territories. Universidad de Sao Paulo (UPS), Brazil. 2006. M.S. in Sociology.
Thesis topic: Agricultural Workers - a Study on Union Representation by Brazilian Family Farmers. Universidad Estadual de Campinas, UNICAMP, Brazil. 2001 His areas of focus include territorial planning, rural sociology and public policy. Current position: 2006 – present. Universidad Federal do ABC – UFABC. Adjunct Professor in the Engineering, Modeling and Applied Social Sciences Center and in the Post-graduate Program on Planning and Territorial Development. Relevant positions: 2004 – present. Brazilian Center for Analysis and Planning– CEBRAP. Associate Researcher in the Territorial and Socio-environmental Conflicts Cluster, in addition to the Citizenship and Development Cluster. 2018 – present. National School of Public Administration. Collaborator in the Agenda 2030 – Chairs Program and the Sustainable Development Goals Program for three Brazilian biomes.
SANTIAGO PERRY
Industrial engineer and economist, Universidad de los Andes. His areas of focus include territorial development; family farming; research and agricultural extension; agricultural and rural innovation; and public policy. Current position: Executive Director of the Corporation for Participatory and Sustainable Development of Rural Small Farmers (Corporación PBA). Relevant positions: Vice Minister of Agriculture of Colombia, Board Member of the Mission for Rural Transformation; Technical Secretary of the Colombian Rural Dialogue Group (Working and Policy Advocacy Group on Development) and the Andean Rural Dialogue Group (Working and Policy Advocacy Group on Family Farming and Food Security in four Andean countries). General Manager of the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA). Executive Director of the Colombian Agricultural Research Corporation (CORPOICA).
International Trade and Regional Integration
ANABEL GONZÁLEZ
Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington D.C., United States. During her 15-year tenure at the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica, she served as Ambassador-Chief Negotiator, Vice Minister and Minister of Commerce (20102014). She was also Senior Director of the World Bank’s Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice, where she led the Bank’s agenda on trade, investment climate, competitiveness, entrepreneurship and innovation. Anabel is a member of the Global Future Council on Trade and Investment of the World Economic Forum and has written extensively and given conferences in more than 60 countries. She holds a Bachelor of Laws degree, LL.B., from the University of Costa Rica and a Master of Laws degree, LL.M., from Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C., United States.
EDUARDO BIANCHI
Mr. Bianchi is the former Secretary of Industry and Commerce, Undersecretary of Policy and Foreign Trade Management, Undersecretary of International Economic Relations of the Province of Buenos Aires, General Manager of the National Commission of Foreign Trade and Chief Economist of the National Commission for the Defense of Competition. He has been an instructor at the World Trade Organization and a lecturer at various universities in Argentina. Eduardo is a graduate in Economics from the Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, with an M.Sc. in Economics from New York University (NYU), United States.
Climate Change, Natural Resources and Management of Production Risks
BRUNO CONDORI
Bolivian national, with a Ph.D. in Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Dr. Condori has an extensive track record in national and international projects, focusing on various issues, for example, agrometeorology; physiology and crop agronomy; soils and nutrients; Andean agricultural systems and crop modelling. He is currently employed to IICA and is a Post-graduate lecturer at various universities in Bolivia. He previously worked with the PROINPA Foundation, CIP, the Crop Systems and Global Change Laboratory (U.S.), and as a consultant to various organizations, such as the World Bank, Euroclima, the United Nations Development Program, the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD-France), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ); the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); and INIAF Bolivia. He speaks five languages.
ROBERTO VALDIVIA
Dr. Valdivia is an Assistant Professor and Principal Researcher in Applied Economics at Oregon State University. His current research interests include the analysis of agricultural production systems and impact assessment; tradeoff analysis; assessment of the economic, environmental and social impact of policy and technologies; climate change impacts, adaptation and mitigation; and the economics of terrestrial and geological carbon sequestration. His research focuses on international projects in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. He is now co-leader of the regional economics team of the Agricultural Modeling Improvement and Intercomparison Project (AgMIP, www.agmip.org) and coleader of the Tradeoff Analysis Project. He has been a consultant to several agricultural research and development institutions such as the FAO, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, IFAD and several CGIAR centers.
GAIUS EUDOXIE
Dr. Eudoxie has a Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the University of the West Indies, where he is currently a Lecturer, teaching and carrying out research in soil fertility and plant nutrition, with a special interest in fertigation, composting; and soil health and quality.
Agricultural Health, Safety and Food Quality
ARMANDO HOET
Dr. Hoet has a DVM (1991) from the Universidad Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela; a Ph.D. in Veterinary Preventive Medicine from Ohio State University (2002), and a Diplomate from the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (former member of the Executive Board). He has been a lecturer and researcher in infectious diseases since 1993; has published more than 75 research articles and book chapters on infectious diseases; and managed the Diagnostic and Research Laboratory for Infectious Diseases (DRLID). Dr. Hoet has led and co-directed research and service projects on infectious diseases, which have been received more than USD 1.6 million in funding from different organizations. His current research interests include epidemiology zoonotic and foodborne pathogens such as MRSA, E. coli, and Salmonella; as well as the molecular epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance associated with these pathogens in humans, animals, and the environment. Currently, he is the Director of the Veterinary Public Health program at OSU (http://vet.osu.edu/education/veterinarypublic-health-program ), which is which is one of only two ACVPM accredited programs in the USA, and the second largest in the country, with more than 50 graduate students.
JAMES W. RUSHING
Dr. Rushing has a B.Sc. in Citrus Production Management from the Florida Southern College and a Ph.D. in Horticultural Science, Postharvest Physiology from the University of Florida. He is a former Director of the International Food Safety Training Programs of the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN) at the University of Maryland. For more information, visit jifsan.umd.edu and select the International tab to see a summary of the program. For more than 20 years, he was a Professor and Director of the Coastal Research and Education Center at Clemson University. For the last 10 years of his time at Clemson, he was the PI or co-PI for grant-funded proposals, amounting to USD 1,082,427. Over the same period, he authored or co-authored proposals that were not funded, amounting to USD 11,307,278. From 2007 to 2009, he was Vice-President for Research and Technical Analysis at the PTG Management Company, Palmetto Florida – a producer and packing facility, with more than 20,000 acres of vegetables and citrus in four states and in Mexico. He had the responsibility for overseeing technical problems and food safety programs throughout the company.
HERNÁN ROJAS OLAVARRÍA
Specialist in the design and management of animal health programs for terrestrial and aquatic animals. Graduate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Chile, M.Sc. in the Development of Animal Health Programs and Production Systems and Ph.D. in Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics from the University of Reading, England. For six years, he served as Head of Chile’s Veterinary Service, overseeing internationalization processes; prevention and control of animal diseases; health negotiation and modernization of the Service. He also designed and implemented programs for the prevention of exotic diseases, such as foot and mouth disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy and classical swine fever. During that period, he was tasked with leading efforts to control the entry of the highly pathogenic avian flu into Chile in 2002. International consultant to IICA, FAO, OIE, IDB and OECD in animal health and food safety. Participant in the OIE Ad-Hoc Groups on Avian Flu, PRRS and in the PPP (Public Private Partnership) Project. He is also involved in other areas and is a contributor to technical publications.
GUSTAVO IDÍGORAS
B.Sc. in Political Sciences; Master’s degree in International Relations, as well as a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Belgium. President of the Oil Industry Chamber of Argentina—CIARA—and the Cereal Exporters Center – CEC, and a Director of the consultancy firm, Agronegocios B.I.M. He is also a post-graduate lecturer at the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) and Universidad de Tres de Febrero (UNTREF); Principal Researcher of the GPS (Group of Producing Countries from the Southern Cone); Director of the Center for Agrifood Studies of the Universidad Nacional de Lomas de Zamora, as well as Director of the WTO and IDB training program for health services in Latin America and the Caribbean. He served for 17 years as an international negotiator for the Argentinian government, representing the country as a Counsellor for the Ministry of Agriculture to the European Union, in MERCOSUR negotiations with China, USA, the EU, and other important countries and trade blocs.
ROBERT GRIFFIN
Mr. Griffin is currently the President of the Agricultural Quarantine Inspection Program (AQI) Committee of the United States Department of Agriculture – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS), Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ). From 2003 to 2014, he was the Director of the Plant Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Laboratory in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he led the work of a large and diverse group of scientists, working on risk analysis to support decision-making on plant quarantine regulations and programs. From 1997 to 2003, Mr. Griffin was the Coordinator of the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. He was responsible for coordinating all IPPC activities managed by the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures, including, the development of international standards for sanitary measures, information exchange, technical assistance and support for phytosanitary dispute resolution processes of the World Trade Organization. He supervised the preparation and updating of the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) Nos. 4-24.