21 JUN 2022 · Maureen Orth is a special correspondent at Vanity Fair. From 1964-66, she served in the Peace Corps in Medellín, Colombia, and later founded The Marina Orth Foundation, a charity that provides English language and STEM resources to schools across Colombia. Orth was a network correspondent for NBC News, contributing editor of Vogue, and author of Vulgar Flavors and The Importance of Being Famous.

14 JUN 2022 · Cesar Vence is an international business professional, Executive Director of the U.S.-Colombia Business Council, and Senior Director of the Americas Department at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Prior to working for the Chamber of Commerce, Vence practiced international business at the city level as Deputy Director of International Affairs & Trade for the Atlanta Mayor’s Office and Senior Project Manager at Invest Atlanta.

7 JUN 2022 · Retired U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus served over 37 years in the U.S. military with six consecutive commands, five of which were in combat, including command of the Surge in Iraq, command of U.S. Central Command, and command of coalition forces in Afghanistan. Following retirement from the military and after Senate confirmation, he would serve as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2011 to 2012.

24 MAY 2022 · Luis Alberto Moreno is the former president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and served as Colombia’s Ambassador to the United States for seven years. From 2005 to 2020, while serving as president of the IDB, Ambassador Moreno consolidated their role as the leading and principal source of long-term financing for Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to that, he oversaw Colombian-U.S. relations as Colombian Ambassador to the United States, where he helped build bipartisan congressional support for the passage of more than $4 billion in assistance for Colombia, was instrumental in the renewal and extension of the Andean Trade Preferences Act, and was one of the lead negotiators on the Colombia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.

17 MAY 2022 · Dan Restrepo was one of the principal advisors to President Barack Obama on issues related to Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada, serving as special assistant to the president and senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs at the National Security Council from March 2009 to July 2012. He was also an advisor and surrogate for President Obama during the 2008 and 2012 campaigns. Restrepo is currently a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, where he created and directed The Americas Project, which focuses on Latin America and on the role of Hispanic people in the United States, their future and the implications for public policy.

10 MAY 2022 · Born in Colombia, Ricardo Quiroga credits his career in science to his childhood memories of time spent exploring the unique biodiversity of the country’s environments. He began his career working for a system of national parks in Colombia seeking to protect the Amazon rainforests. In 2014 Quiroga co-founded AmeriGEO, a framework to promote Earth observations for decision-making in programs handling disasters, agriculture, health, water and ecosystems. Since then he has coordinated with the worldwide Group on Earth Observations (GEO) in Colombia to expand AmeriGEO’s mission to include North, South and Central American initiatives. Quiroga now serves as the coordinator of NASA’s Disasters program.

3 MAY 2022 · Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 1989 to 1992. In addition to the UN, Pickering was ambassador to the Russian Federation, India, Israel and El Salvador. In 1997 Pickering was appointed by President Clinton to the position of Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, the third highest post in the U.S. State Department. He played a pivotal role in the negotiation of the joint security framework, Plan Colombia. Pickering now serves as a Distinguished Fellow at the Brookings Institution and is a member on the Foreign Affairs Policy Board at the U.S. Department of State.

26 APR 2022 · Ambassador Carolina Barco served as Colombian Ambassador to the United States from 2006-2010. Appointed by President Álvaro Uribe, she played an instrumental role in the implementation of the joint counternarcotics strategy, Plan Colombia. Prior to her selection as ambassador, Barco served as Foreign Minister of Colombia from 2002-2006, and worked with the UNDP as well as the Ministries of Education, Culture and Economic Development of Colombia. In 2018 she became the Colombian Ambassador to Spain.

19 APR 2022 · Colombia native Katherine Vargas is the former Director for Hispanic Media for the White House. Serving during the Obama Administration, she was responsible for engaging with Hispanic media and coordinating with federal agencies to promote the President's agenda within Hispanic communities across the country. Prior to joining the White House, Vargas worked with the National Immigration Forum, the National Immigration Law Center and the International Rescue Committee.

12 APR 2022 · Juan Manuel Barrientos is a Colombian chef, businessman and peace advocate with more than 13 restaurants, bars and hotels. Creator and founder of the El cielo restaurants, his landmark El cielo Restaurant located in Washington D.C. was the first Colombian restaurant in history to be awarded a Michelin Star, the highest recognition achieved in Colombian gastronomy. Chef Barrientos is also well known for his philanthropic work, having founded El cielo Foundation in 2008 to provide culinary training to ex-guerrilla members, soldiers wounded in combat, indigenous people and victims of violence.