Alfred Sanchez is the president and chief executive officer of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, South Florida’s first and the longest-sustaining business development organization and one of the largest chambers in the southeastern U.S.

In this role, Alfred directs a team of 25 chamber professionals, supporting more than 400,000 employees of chamber member companies in South Florida. His involvement with the chamber spans 21 years and includes serving on the board of directors, chairing the Marketing Committee and Leadership Programs Group, and serving on the Nonprofit Committee. He attributes much of his success in South Florida to his deep involvement with the chamber.

Previously, Alfred served in a variety of leadership roles with the American Red Cross. Most recently, he was the regional chief executive officer for its South Florida region, where he led a team of over 3,000 volunteers and staff, supporting almost eight million residents across 13 counties to prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural and man-made disasters.

Before this, he led the YMCA of Greater Miami as president and chief executive officer. During his 12-year tenure at YMCA, he expanded its financial development and led strategic planning initiatives that culminated in the opening of three new Family YMCAs. These were the first facilities built by the Miami YMCA in 40 years and substantially increased the organization’s reach to thousands more community members.

Alfred also served as director of government and community relations for Royal Caribbean Cruises and Celebrity Cruises. In this role, he oversaw the charitable programs and helped implement the company’s mission to enhance communities throughout 160 international ports of call.

Alfred received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and English from Beaver College and a master’s degree in community and clinical psychology from the University of Maryland. Active in his church and in the Miami community, he serves on local and national boards including Greater Miami & the Beaches Resilient City Steering Committee of the 100 Resilient Cities—Pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation; The Beacon Council; Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau; Orange Bowl Committee and Great Commission Alliance Board, serving the people of Haiti.

Dr. John Wensveen is Vice Provost of Academic Schools at Miami Dade College providing direct leadership and direction for the College’s professional education programs including the Academic Schools (Business, Trade & Transportation; Education; Engineering, Technology & Design; Justice, Public Safety & Legal Studies, Science), School of Continuing Education & Professional Development, and the Office of Workforce Education & Partnerships. He is responsible for creating corporate relationships with local, regional, national, and international boards and organizations and with leaders of foreign governments, businesses, and nongovernmental organizations.

He has extensive academic leadership experience including Professor and Head of the School of Aviation & Transportation Technology at Purdue University, Dean of the School of Aviation at Dowling College, and Professor of Airline Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

John has held a variety of industry leadership positions including Partner/EVP at Mango Aviation Partners, Global Head of Airline Advisory Services at Radixx International, President of Airline Visions, Executive Consultant at InterVISTAS, Senior Director at Marriott Vacation Club International, Vice President of International Affairs at MAXjet Airways, Director of Strategy and Communications at Corporate Visions, and Manager of Pacific Rim Flight Operations & Passenger Services at Canada 3000 Airlines.

John is an External Instructor at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a frequent contributor to the media, provides expert witness testimony, and is author of two leading industry books including a “best-seller” (Air Transportation: A Management Perspective and Wheels Up: Airline Business Plan Development).

John earned Masters and Ph.D. degrees in International Air Transport and Business from Cardiff University (United Kingdom) and a B.A. in Geography and Transportation Land Use Planning from the University of Victoria (Canada). Currently, he is working toward the U.S. Coast Guard, Masters Upgrade (100 Gross ton license) certification.

In his free time, John is an avid boater, scuba diver, and enjoys hitting the open road in the RV.

https://www.miamidade.gov/citt/library/presentations/2017-2018-presentation/dr-john-wensveen.pdf

William D. Talbert, III, CDME has served as President & CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) for the past eighteen years and Chief Operating Officer for the prior nine. His major accomplishments include assisting with the passage of the Travel Promotion Act of 2010; negotiating inter-local government funding agreements; preparing five successful Super Bowl bids, including the most recent bid for the NFL’s centennial year 2020 Super Bowl; and three Pow Wow bids. Under Talbert’s leadership, the GMCVB was awarded accreditation from the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program in November 2007.

In June 2016, Talbert was appointed to the United States Commerce Department’s 2016-2018 Travel & Tourism Advisory Board. The Board serves as the advisory body to the Secretary of Commerce on matters relating to the travel and tourism industry in the United States and offers recommendations on implementation of the National Travel and Tourism Strategy.

On July 1, 2016, Talbert became Chair of the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors for FY 2016-17. VISIT FLORIDA is the state’s official tourism marketing corporation and serves as Florida’s official source for travel planning to visitors across the globe.

Talbert holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Florida Atlantic University and bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida. In 2006, he earned the Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) designation – the highest educational achievement in the destination marketing industry.

Mark B. Rosenberg is the fifth president of Florida International University (FIU). A public institution of higher education, FIU is the face of the country’s future in higher education demographics: it is a majority-minority institution that leads the country in the production of minority degrees in the sciences and engineering.

Dr. Rosenberg has served as the fifth president of FIU since August 2009. A political scientist specializing in Latin America, Dr. Rosenberg is the first FIU faculty member to ascend to the university’s presidency.

Under his leadership as president, FIU has increased enrollment to almost 56,000 students, improved graduation rates by nearly 13% and hired over 500 new faculty. As President, Dr. Rosenberg has provided leadership to grow the institution’s budget, improve student retention and graduation rates, expand internships for enrolled students, and coordinate FIU’s emergence as a leading producer of graduates in priority national and state areas focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The university has been named as a Carnegie “Highest Research” as well as an “Engaged” institution, and has developed path-breaking partnerships with the Miami Dade County Public Schools, JP Morgan Chase, Florida Power & Light and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Research expenditures have grown by nearly 30% to nearly $171 million, and over seventy new student advisers and counselors have been hired for a restructured and expanded student graduation initiative.

From 2005 to 2009, Dr. Rosenberg served as the second Chancellor (he was the first that was formally selected by the Board of Governors) for the State University System of Florida, which includes all of Florida’s public universities – over 325,000 students and an all-accounts budget of nearly $9 billion. As chancellor, Dr. Rosenberg led the system’s strategic development and financial planning and policy initiatives, working closely with Governors Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist and the state legislature to secure support for SUS priorities. During this era, major new strides were made in research support for the system, over $1 billion was provided for new facility construction, and a new SUS strategic plan was developed, approved and launched.

Prior to becoming chancellor, Dr. Rosenberg was integrally involved in the expansion and development of FIU into a major public research university. As Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs from 1998 to 2005, Dr. Rosenberg spearheaded the establishment of a law school in 2002 and a medical school in 2006. Under his leadership, FIU increased enrollment, implemented major campus construction projects, and was invited to join the select national honor society Phi Beta Kappa. Dr. Rosenberg was also instrumental in moving FIU into the top tier of Carnegie Foundation research universities.

Dr. Rosenberg’s academic career began at FIU in 1976 as an assistant professor of political science. In 1979, he founded the FIU Latin American and Caribbean Center, which today is one of the nation’s premier federally-supported research and teaching centers focusing on the region. Dr. Rosenberg subsequently served as the Founding Dean of the College of Urban and Public Affairs and Vice Provost for International Studies. He has also been a Visiting Distinguished Research Professor at The Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, and a Visiting Professor at the Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey (ITESM) in Mexico.

Dr. Rosenberg earned a B.A. in 1971 from Miami University of Ohio and a Ph.D. in Political Science with a graduate certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from the University of Pittsburgh in 1976. He has written or co-edited seven books and numerous scholarly articles in leading journals. His latest book, The United States and Central America: Geopolitical Realities and Regional Fragility (2007), is a Harvard University project co-authored with Luis Guillermo Solis of Costa Rica. Governmental and media organizations have frequently sought Dr. Rosenberg’s expertise on Latin America. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, has testified before Congress numerous times, and has served as a consultant to the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Firmly committed to service with national and local educational impact, Dr. Rosenberg serves as Chair of the Association of Public Land-Grant University’s (APLU) Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU); Chair of APLU’s Commission on Access, Diversity, and Excellence (CADE); and Co-Chair of the Board on Science Education’s (BOSE) Roundtable on Systemic Change in Undergraduate STEM Education. He also just ended his term as Chair of the National Academies’ Committee on Developing Indicators for Undergraduate STEM Education.

Within Miami-Dade County, Dr. Rosenberg was the 109th Chair of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce (GMCC), one of Florida’s leading business associations; and also served a 5-year term as Chair of the Academic Leaders Council (ALC) for the Beacon Council, Miami-Dade County’s official economic development organization. He serves on the Board of Directors of City National Bank of Florida, and is active in a variety of other civic organizations, including the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach, Florida Council of 100, and the United Way of Miami-Dade County.

Dr. Rosenberg is a first-generation college graduate whose two children, Ben and Ginelle, are both graduates of FIU. He and his wife of over 40 years, Rosalie, are members of Temple Menorah in Miami Beach.