Bios SUDECC Panel 2020
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1234 Massachusetts AVE NW Washington, DC, 20005 Phone: 202.468.1286 E-Mail: [email protected] Web: www.sudecc.com U.S. 2020 Census and Afro-Latinos in the District of Columbia - April 13, 2019 Panel Discussion on the U.S. 2020 Census and Afro-Latinos in the District of Columbia. Participants will commemorate the Emancipation Day, Earth Day and celebrate the arrival of the Garifuna people, an Afro-Indigenous community from Central America embedded within the Latino population of DC." http://www.sudecc.com/events/2020/census Remarks Julio Guity Guevara is the Managing Director of SUDECC, Inc. Washington, DC-based consulting firm that promotes sustainable development. Previously, he served as the Deputy Director of the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs after being appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser in 2015, where he implemented the Mayor’s initiatives in the Latinx community of Washington, DC. He is a former Inter-American Development Bank project attorney and compliance review Specialist, World Bank Group Consultant and Attorney Fellow at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. He holds a Master of Laws in International Business from American University, Washington College of Law. He is also a Garifuna who previously practiced law in Honduras and has been living and working in Washington, DC since 2002. MC Simone Smillie is a native New Yorker, who moved to DC follow her passion for global development. In recent years she has been building and strengthening relationships between Office of Human Rights and the business community of the District of Columbia. She holds a B.A. in International Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and an MA in Development Economics. Remarks Gilberto Amaya is an international development professional with 40+ years of experience assisting international development organizations, governments, NGOs in the design and implementation of broad-based socio-economic development strategies and programs. He is a distinguished member of the Garifuna community and has master’s degree in International Development and Appropriate Technology from University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Amaya is a member of the National Advisory Committee on Race and Ethnicity-NAC of the U.S. Census Bureau. Remarks Melissa Bird, Executive Director, District Census 2020 joined the DC Office of Planning in 2005 and served as a Lead Planner in the Neighborhood Planning division and also as a project manager for the Comprehensive Plan. At OP, she served as project manager on a variety of projects and initiatives including the Streetcar Master Land Use Study and the Southwest Neighborhood Plan). Prior to joining the DC Office of Planning, she worked in environmental consulting for five years at the Louis Berger Group. Melissa has a Master’s in Community Planning from the University of Maryland College Park. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and also graduated from the ULI Regional Land Use Leadership Institute in 2016. Remarks Rick Corrales Rick Corrales is an accomplished detail oriented Professional with 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry. He started a music and marketing management firm and has worked with talents such as Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Usher, Eve, Chris Brown, Jamie Foxx, and producers, Andre Harris, Vidal Davis and Darryl Pearson. He is the Sound Consultant for Space Night Club in Miami and is responsible for the production for the 2019 Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Business Expo, in addition to the Gala for Major Muriel Bowser’s Office on Latino Affairs for 3 consecutive years. Remarks Manuel Mendez, Chair of the DC AfroLatino Caucus, is originally from the Dominican Republic and moved to Washington, D.C. at the age of nine. After graduating from Bell Multicultural High School, Mr. Mendez received his bachelor’s degree in African Studies and Communication at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Fortunate to have a host of mentors in his adolescence, Mr. Mendez’s passion for supporting positive youth development and the issues that plague the people of the African Diaspora are ever apparent themes in his pursuit for affecting progressive change in his community. As a constant staple in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, Mr. Mendez’s dedicated support has allowed him to forge long-term meaningful relationships with members of the community. Currently as the chair of the DC AfroLatino Caucus, Mr. Mendez’s goal is to unite “black and brown” people of the Washington metropolitan area. 2 Remarks Nelson Cruz is an experienced Marketing and Communications professional with a demonstrated history of working in the private and non-profit sectors. Since the inception of his professional career, he has dedicated his time to fighting bigotry, standing for social justice and unmasking and sharing the stories of under-served communities. As a self-proclaimed creative instigator, he uses his creativity to promote innovation and avant-gardism. Nelson is also the co-founder and vice-president of a non-profit called La Union DC, a youth-led, youth-driven art collaborative that mentors minority youth who have a passion for the arts, education and entrepreneurship. Nelson holds a BA in Communications from Ohio University where he graduated cum-laude as a first-generation college student. Moderator A native of Washington, D.C., Jeri Green is a veteran civic engagement professional. Jeri recently served as Senior Advisor for Civic Engagement, Office of the Director, U.S. Census Bureau, where she engaged civil rights organizations, and diverse national leaders on critical 2020 Census policy issues. Currently, Jeri is a consultant to the National Urban League serving as its Senior Advisor for the 2020 Census. In this role, Jeri spearheads the National Urban League’s advocacy on 2020 Census initiatives. Jeri holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park and a master’s degree from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. Panelist I Monica Costa is the owner of the only Black Woman Owned and operated Auto Body and Mechanical Repairs in the DMV area, Rockville, MD. Monica hails from the favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and is a graduate of the University of Columbia, with a BA in Political Science. Monica worked with the US Department of Interior and the US Department of State. She's in the Board of Directors for Montgomery Community Media and loves to share her experiences through public speaking and encouraging others to live a life they design. Panelist II Kelis Moreno is an Colombian Attorney, holding a Master of Laws from the University of California, Los Angeles with Specialization in International and Comparative Law and Critical Race Studies. She specializes in administrative law, property rights, land tenure, and political management. Recently, she was a fellow at the Inter-American Commission of Human 3 Rights.Previously, she has worked at the Colombian Institute for Rural Development where she titled lands for Black communities and managed land conflicts amongst indigenous communities. She has also lent her legal expertise to UCLA’s International Human Rights Clinic, where she provided legal support to Honduras communities related to property rights. In addition, she worked as attorney advisor at the Mayor of Pereira and provided legal guidance to women victims of domestic violence in the Secretariat for Women in the Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia. Panelist III John Clarke spent over 15 years working in government affairs in Latin America, Europe, and the Caribbean as a U.S. diplomat and academic. Throughout his career, he has worked on matters concerning global trends in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. After serving internationally, he returned to his hometown of Washington DC as the Ward 1 Outreach and Service Specialist with the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services. He has spoken around the world about his diverse knowledge base, most recently at the Integración Afrodiaspórica conference at Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia and at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC. He graduated from Benjamin Banneker High School, subsequently finished magna cum laude from Morehouse College with a B.A. in Economics and a M.A. in International Economics from Johns Hopkins University. Panelist IV Angela M. Manso serves in the Washington, D.C. office as NALEO Educational Fund's director of policy and legislative affairs. A seasoned advocate with extensive Executive Branch and Capitol Hill experience, Manso serves as the organization's primary representative and chief policy advocate in the nation's capital. In this capacity, she sets the direction of critical policy initiatives relating to issues affecting Latino access to the political process. Manso previously served as the Senior Policy Advisor in the Western Hemisphere Affairs Bureau at the U.S. Department of State, and the Chief of the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Census Bureau. Prior to serving in the Obama Administration, Manso worked for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, American Association of Community Colleges, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer and former U.S. Rep. Charlie Gonzale 4 .