Georgetown Americas Institute

Created in 2006, the Georgetown University Latin American Board (LAB) supports the University’s engagement across the region. Composed of influential leaders from the public, private, and non-profit sectors, the LAB serves as an advisory board to the president and provost. The only regional board of its kind at Georgetown, the LAB assists in the development of strong ties between the University and its alumni, parents, and other collaborators across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Antonio Ardila – Colombia: Vice-chairman of Organización Ardila Lülle, which along with its subsidiaries, operates in the beverages, agro-industry, textiles, telecommunications, media, and financial services sectors. Ardila is also chairman of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee of Postobón, and a member of the Board of Directors of Peldar, Crown Colombiana, and Cervecería Central de Colombia (CCC).

Manuel J. Balbontin, P’19, P´25 – Chile (Chairman): Partner and founder of Compass Group, executive chairman of Compass Group Holdings, and senior investment strategist. Previous to founding the firm, Mr. Balbontín was a managing director and founder of New World Investments Group of Banco Santander in New York. Mr. Balbontín was also director of capital markets and co-director of sales and trading of Citicorp Emerging Markets Group in New York, London, and Tokyo. He has over 30 years experience in asset management, investment banking, and private capital investments in Latin America and other emerging markets.

Francisco Barriocanal, MBA ‘94– Paraguay: Executive Chairman at Cementos Concepcion S.A.E., the largest producer of cement, concrete, and agricultural lime in Paraguay. Francisco has served on several boards of directors; his experience spans diverse businesses like food & beverages, fuel distribution and retail, hospitality, personal care, real estate development, and tobacco.

Alberto Beeck, P’15, P’17, P’18– Peru:  Managing Partner of Cranley Investments Holdings. Alberto serves on the boards of Industria Works, DB Andean Towers, WE Family Offices Holdings, and Endeavor Miami. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Memorial Sloan Kettering and of Project Liberty. Alberto is a former member of the Board of Trustees of Georgetown University, founder and Chairman of Georgetown’s Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation, and founder, current board member, and former Chairman of Georgetown’s Latin American Board.

Claudia Blum– Colombia: Former Minister of Foreign Affairs (2019-2021) and Senator of Colombia (1991-2006) elected during four consecutive terms. As Minister, she promoted an international agenda focused on the defense of democracy, environmental issues, international cooperation in human rights and development, and assistance to migrants. As a Senator, Mrs. Blum was the author of legislation that strengthened national legal frameworks regarding the justice system, environmental protection and sustainable development, human rights, the fight against transnational crime, and democratic institutions in her country. She was the first woman appointed as President of the Colombian Congress (2005). Mrs. Blum was also Ambassador of Colombia to the United Nations (2006-2010), where she worked for the election of Colombia as member of the Security Council and was very active in debates and resolutions related to sustainable development, human rights, humanitarian assistance and fight against the world drug problem. She was also director of cultural organizations, journalist and member of the city Council in her native Cali, in Colombia. She has received distinctions that include the Order of Boyacá in the degree of Grand Cross (awarded by the Government of Colombia in 2022) and the Order of the Congress of Colombia at the Level of Great Extraordinary Cross (July 2006). Mrs. Blum has a degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in political studies, and has published six books related to her work in the Congress and an autobiography.

Mati Bonetti de Buccini, C’94 - Dominican Republic: Partner and director of Atelier Delaware, a fine art preservation and storage facility. Previously she worked for MTV Networks International as the director of the International Marketing for MTV, Nickelodeon and VH-1. Mrs. Bonetti de Buccini received her B.A. in History and Art History from Georgetown in 1994 and an MBA from Columbia in 1998.

Claudia Cisneros, P'23 - Venezuela: Claudia is an accomplished telecommunications veteran with a depth of expertise encompassing 15 years working in project management, branding, data collections and analysis, as well as technology development and integration. She is a current member of the board of Digitel Venezuela and its various committees. As a committed social entrepreneur, Claudia is the founder and president of Digisalud, a philanthropic organization that promotes health advances for children in Latin America by creating state-of-the-art technological and logistical solutions in healthcare. An avid art collector, she is a former director and current member of the Cisneros Fontanals Foundations (CIFO), an institution that promotes Latin American art and artists globally. 

Miguel Dueñas, B’66, P’99, P’99– El Salvador: Founder of Dueñas Hermanos Ltda. He is a member of the conglomerate Dueñas Hermanos y Compañia and Roberto Dueñas Limitada, which along with its subsidiaries, operates in a variety of industries in El Salvador ranging from real estate and cement to retail.

Irma Frank (P’91, P’94, P’96, P’97, P’99) - Colombia/USA:  Dr. Irma Frank is the Senior Associate Dean for International Programs at Georgetown University Medical School. She chairs the International Programs Committee, which oversees all Medical School International Programs. Dr. Frank received the Patrick Healy Award in 2015, the highest honor that the Georgetown University Alumni Association gives to individuals who are not alumni but who have distinguished themselves in their communities and through outstanding service to Georgetown. She also received the Silver Medal for her faculty service to the Medical Center and the Founder’s Day Award from Georgetown University School of Medicine. She was also the recipient of the highest honors of “Orden de Comendador” and “Orden de Dama” from Javeriana University. Dr. Frank is a graduate of the Javeriana University in Bogota, Colombia. She received Pediatric Dentistry training at Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Cleft Palate training at Tufts University.

Enrique García - Bolivia: Former executive president of CAF - Development Bank of Latin America.(1991-2017). He is the president of the Council of International Relations of Latin America (RIAl), and member of several boards and advisory councils internationally. Previously, he served as minister of planning and chief of the Economic and Social Cabinet of the Bolivian Council of Ministers, and as treasurer of the Inter-American Development Bank. 

Rolando Gonzalez-Bunster, C’68, P’00, P’05, P’14, P’16– Argentina: Chairman and chief executive officer of InterEnergy Holdings. Prior, he founded and managed InterEnergy’s predecessor, Basic Energy Ltd. (Bahamas), a holding  company that owns and operates electrical generation and distribution assets in the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Jamaica. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Clinton Foundation, the Energy & Climate Committee of the Clinton Global Initiative, and the Institute of the Americas.

Dionisio Gutierrez – Guatemala: Guatemalan philanthropist, sociologist, and president of the Fundación Libertad y Desarrollo. Gutierrez is a former president and current board member of Corporación Multi Inversiones (CMI), as well as founder and trustee of the School of Government and former president of the Chamber of Free Enterprise in Guatemala. 

Diego Herrera, B’94– Guatemala: Chief executive officer of The Pantaleon Group, Inc., a family held corporation founded in 1848 with interests in sugar production, energy, and shopping malls, which currently operates in Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and Brazil. Prior to joining Pantaleon, Mr. Herrera served as managing partner with Atlas Vivienda, a Mexican real estate development company, where he remains a board member, and worked in the investment banking group of Paribas in New York. 

Lorenzo A. Mendoza, P’15, P’16, P’17, P’19, P’22– Venezuela: Chief executive officer of Empresas Polar, Venezuela’s largest food and beverage company. Prior to taking over at Empresas Polar, Lorenzo was an executive in the merger and acquisitions department of J. Henry Schroder Wagg & Co. Ltd in London, and worked as an executive in the corporate banking department of Citicorp/Citibank in New York.

Miguel Mendoza, P’23- Venezuela: Mr. Mendoza is the founder and chief executive officer of Power Infrastructure. He has over 20+ years’ experience in the energy and infrastructure industries including oil & gas, power generation, distribution, and renewables with a special focus on Emerging Markets. Mr. Mendoza holds an MBA from The Columbia Business School in New York, and a Masters in Finance from the London Business School (LBS) in England. He also holds a Juris Doctor (JD) from the Law Center at the University of Houston in Texas, a Master of Law (LLM) from Tulane Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana, and a Law Degree from the Andrés Bello Catholic University in Caracas, Venezuela. Mr. Mendoza is a member of the Board of Junior Achievement in Argentina and a member of the Acquisition Committee of the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano (Malba) in Buenos Aires.

Christian Mürrle, B'80, P'24 - Colombia: Managing director and principal of PanAmCap, LLC, a company he founded that sources investment and merchant banking opportunities in the U.S. and Latin America. From 2002-2016, Mr. Mürrle was a principal at PanAmerican Capital, LLC, a company he created with his business partner, which also focused on investment opportunities in Latin America. Mr. Mürrle sits on the Board of Directors of Grupo Nutresa, one of the largest food companies across Latin America, and of the Colombian American Association, a 93-year-old organization that promotes investment and commerce between the United States and Colombia, and for which Mr. Mürrle served as president for over a decade. He is a past board member of AID FOR AIDS and past Honorary Consul of Sweden in Cali, Colombia. 

Alejandro Poma, P'24 - El Salvador: Director of Grupo Poma, a Salvadoran based Multilatina with interests in automotive retail, parts, service and finance; hospitality; real estate development; construction materials and architectural products and investments. Mr. Poma is a board member of Fundacion Salvadoreña para la Salud y Desarrollo Human (FUSAL) and INCAE Business School, and serves as president of the Salvadoran National Committee of INCAE, Central America’s leading graduate business school. Mr. Poma is a member of the inaugural class of the Central America Leadership Initiative (CALI); an Aspen Institute program designed to develop young leaders in regions around the globe and part of the broader Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN) and for many years has been a member of the Salvadoran chapter of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO). In 2010 he was honored by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader.

Philippe Stiernon, B´03, MBA´15- Colombia: Founder, CEO, and managing partner of ROAM Capital, one of Latin America’s leading placement agents, focused exclusively on alternative investments. Philippe also serves as CIO of Hoya Capital, a family investment vehicle. Before founding ROAM, Philippe served as the Co-Head of Investor Relations for a Latin American private equity fund and a hedge fund in London. Prior to that, he spent five years working for Merrill Lynch, starting in the firm’s Investment Banking division in New York and transitioning to the Private Wealth Management division in Miami, helping ultra-high net worth investors structure and invest their wealth, particularly with respect to their alternative investment allocations.

Andrés Tesak, B’95– El Salvador: Executive at Bocadeli, a snack producer that operates in almost all countries in Central America, the United States, and the Dominican Republic. He was named honorary consul of El Salvador to Hungary by the national Congress in 2012. The Tesak family are the patrons of the Cultural Center Pablo Tessak, which promotes social unity and child development through educational and cultural initiatives.