Cuba and the Caribbean: What Now?
Date: Thursday, February 22, 2018
Sarasota, FL
Join GIC, the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and our panels of leading experts as we discuss the state of US-Cuba relations and the outlook going forward.
Presentation Documents
- Cuba & Puerto Rico: “From the Same Bird, Two ‘Broken’ Wings” — Eugenio J. Alemán
- The Non-State Sector in Cuba — Jorge Duany
Presentation Videos
Event Detail
Cuba and the Caribbean: What Now?
Recent changes in US policies toward Cuba have reinvigorated debate over US-Cuba relations. How will these revised policies affect American business, trade and travel, as well as the well-being of the Cuban people? What does the future hold? Please join our leading experts and us as we discuss the state and outlook of US-Cuba relations as well as the impact and economic recovery of the Caribbean following Hurricane Irma.
To help figure out the next steps, GIC in collaboration with USF Sarasota-Manatee, Cumberland Advisors, and The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta will host a seminar, “Cuba and the Caribbean: What Now?” on February 22, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at USFSM’s Selby Auditorium.
The half-day session explores the implications of America’s revised Cuba policies and features talks by Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett, Member of United States Congress serving the US Virgin Islands and Congressman Carlos Curbelo, Member of United States Congress serving the 26th District of Florida.
Session topics include:
- US Administrations & Cuba
- Economic Recovery in Cuba and the Caribbean
- Doing Business in Cuba
- Hurricanes and the Caribbean
Click here to register.
Click here to view a map of USFSM’s campus.
Attendees of Money, Models, and Digital Innovation can receive credit from the following organizations:
- AFCPE Post Certification (5 credits)
- CFP Board (5 CE credit hours)
Agenda
8:00 – 8:30 a.m. | Registration and coffee
8:30 – 8:45 a.m. | Welcome Remarks
- Karen Holbrook, Regional Chancellor, USF Sarasota-Manatee
- David Kotok, CIO Cumberland Advisors and GIC Board Member
8:45 – 9:30 a.m. | Keynote – US Administrations & Cuba
- Vicki Huddleston: US Ambassador, retired; former Principal Officer, US Interests section in Havana – Myths, Contradictions, and Lies: Bush, Obama, Trump
9:30 – 10:45 a.m. | Economic Recovery in Cuba and the Caribbean
- Jorge Duany, Director of the Cuban Research Institute and Professor of Anthropology at Florida International University – The Development and Current Status of the Non-State Sector of the Cuban Economy
- Eugenio J. Alemán, Director, Senior Economist, Wells Fargo Securities, Latin Connection Executive Advisor
- Sara Banaszak, Exxon Mobil: Oil, Gas and Electricity in the Caribbean Economies
- Moderator: Mark Abbott, Managing Director, Raymond James Financial
10:45 – 11:00 a.m. | Break
11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Doing Business in Cuba
- Collin Laverty, Cuba Educational Travel – 21st Century Cuba: Challenges and Opportunities
- David Seleski, President and CEO, Stonegate Bank – S. Business Opportunities in Cuba in Today’s Regulatory Environment
- Moderator: Stephen J. Kay, Americas Center Director, Research Department, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
12:15 – 1:30 p.m. | Lunch
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. | Hurricanes and the Caribbean
- Bob Bunting, CEO Waterstone Strategies Inc. – How Cuba saved Florida and the Southeast U.S. from a Category 5 Knockout
- Luke Bencie, Managing Director for Security Management International, LLC.: The Future of Economic Espionage: Preparing for the Worst
- Moderator: Bob Harrigan, Chief Meteorologist, WWSB ABC
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. | Political Keynotes
- Stacey Plaskett, Member of United States Congress serving the US Virgin Islands
- Carlos Curbelo, Member of United States Congress serving the 26th District of Florida
- Moderator: Ben White, Chief Economic Correspondent, POLITICO
3:00 p.m. | Conclusion
University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, Selby Auditorium
8350 N. Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34243
Plan your trip to Sarasota using GIC’s blog posted by Jill here.
Event Location
Speakers
Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett
Member of United States Congress serving the US Virgin IslandsCongresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett is the Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from the United States Virgin Island’s at-large congressional district. She is an attorney who has practiced law in New York, Washington DC and the US Virgin Islands.
Carlos Curbelo
Former Member of United States Congress serving the 26th District of FloridaCarlos Curbelo was born in Miami, Florida in 1980, to political refugees who fled tyranny and oppression Cuba. He was educated in the public school system and then at Belen Jesuit. From there he became a student at the University of Miami where he obtained a Bachelor's in Business Administration while majoring in Political Science. He later returned to UM for a Masters in Public Administration.
Mark Abbott
Managing Director, Raymond JamesMark Abbott is a Managing Director at Raymond James; he is responsible for the firm’s European businesses including equity research, asset management and wealth management.
Eugenio J. Alemán, Ph.D.
Director and Senior Economist at Wells FargoEugenio J. Alemán is a director and senior economist at Wells Fargo. He forecasts national, regional, and international economic trends.
Sara Banaszak
Senior Federal Affairs Adviser, ExxonMobilSara Banaszak has 20 years of experience in the energy sector, spanning public policy, consulting and corporate advisory roles. Currently serving as a senior federal affairs adviser for ExxonMobil in Washington D.C., Sara also held senior adviser roles on the company’s corporate issues teams and with its gas and power marketing division.
Luke Bencie
Managing Director, Security Management International (SMI)Luke Bencie is the Managing Director of Security Management International (SMI) and the author of “Among Enemies: Counter-Espionage for the Business Traveler”, “Global Security Consulting: How to Build a Thriving International Practice”, and “The Clandestine Consultant: Kings, Sheiks, Warlord and Dictators.”
Bob Bunting
CEO, Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Center - CACRobert (Bob) Bunting is a scientist and serial entrepreneur, high technology start up expert and educator. He is CEO of the new Climate Adaptation & Mitigations Center, CAC, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to providing a curated data-base and situational analysis in four topical areas impacted by a warming climate. They are: seal level rise, Red Tide, hurricane changing characteristics, and human health.
Jorge Duany
Director, Cuban Research Institute and Professor, Florida International UniversityDr. Jorge Duany is the Director of the Cuban Research Institute and Professor of Anthropology at Florida International University. Born in Cuba and raised in Panama and Puerto Rico, Dr. Duany previously served as Acting Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras.
Bob Harrigan
Chief Meteorologist, WWSB ABCABC 7's Chief Meteorologist Bob Harrigan has been forecasting Suncoast weather for 33 years. You can watch Bob's forecasts weekdays at 5 pm, 5:30 pm, 6 pm, 7pm, and 11 pm.
Karen Holbrook, Ph.D.
Regional Chancellor, USF Sarasota-ManateeKaren A. Holbrook, Ph.D., is the Regional Chancellor at USF Sarasota-Manatee, following a year as the Interim President for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Before assuming the position at Embry-Riddle she worked as a higher education consultant and the Senior Advisor to the President at the University of South Florida, where she was, until recently, the Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation then Senior Vice President for Global Affairs and International Research.
Vicki Huddleston
AmbassadorAmbassador Vicki Huddleston was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Africa and later held the same position at the Department of Defense. She led American diplomatic missions in Mali, Madagascar, Cuba, and Ethiopia. She was Director of U.S. policy toward Cuba at the Department of State and later Chief of our Diplomatic Mission in Havana before it became an embassy. In Haiti, she was Deputy ambassador and later Chief of Party for a USAID Value Chain project. She was a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution, a Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and as a Congressional Fellow worked on the staff of former Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Peru and worked with housing cooperatives. Vicki is currently a consultant with Transnational Strategies Group. Vicki’s opinion pieces on Cuba, Mali, and Ethiopia have appeared in The New York Times, The Miami Herald, and The Washington Post. She co-authored “Learning to Salsa – New Steps in U.S.- Cuban Relations.” Her book Our Woman in Havana: A U.S. Diplomat’s Chronicle of our Long Struggle with Fidel Castro’s Cuba,” Vicki is a popular speaker at foreign affairs groups and universities, recently participating in the Colorado World Affairs Week, Meridian International Center, the Montana and Cleveland Councils on World Affairs, the Naples Yacht Club, and the Air Force Academy.
Stephen Kay
Center Director, Americas Center, Federal Reserve Bank of AtlantaStephen Kay is the center director of the Atlanta Fed's Americas Center. Dr. Kay is part of the financial markets team. His research focuses on political economy and public policy in Latin America.
David Kotok
Chief Investment Officer of Cumberland AdvisorsDavid Kotok co-founded Cumberland Advisors in 1973 and has been its Chief Investment Officer since inception. David’s articles and financial market commentaries have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, and other publications. He is a frequent contributor to Bloomberg TV and Bloomberg Radio, Yahoo Finance TV, and other media.
Collin Laverty
President, Cuba Educational TravelCollin Laverty is president of Cuba Educational Travel, which offers curated travel to the island for bar associations, business groups, companies, think tanks, trade groups, and universities,. He is also a senior partner at Havana Strategies, a boutique consultancy offering assistance to U.S. companies operating in Cuba or hoping to enter the Cuban market.
Dave Seleski
Founder and President and CEO, Stonegate BankMr. Seleski is the founder and the current President and CEO of Stonegate Bank. Stonegate Bank was founded 2005 and is a $3.0 billion Bank headquartered in Pompano Beach, Florida. The bank has 23 offices located in Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Collier, Lee and Hillsborough Counties. Mr. Seleski most recently served, since May 2002, as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Southeast Florida division of Florida Bank, N.A., until its sale in July 2004 to The South Financial Group, Inc.
Ben White
Chief Economic Correspondent, POLITICO ProBen White is POLITICO Pro's chief economic correspondent and author of the “Morning Money” column covering the nexus of finance and public policy.
Partners
Sponsors
