What We Do
For over 30 years, the Institute of the Americas has been at the forefront of U.S.-Latin America cooperation to promote economic development and social well-being in the Hemisphere.
Program Areas
Energy, Trade, Journalism, Science and Innovation, China-Latin America relations, Mexico and the border are among the key topics we focus on.
Leadership
The Institute is led by Jamal Khokhar, President and CEO. He is guided and supported by a distinguished Board of Directors whose members are business and academic leaders from throughout the Americas.
Board of Directors
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History
In 1983, the Institute was founded by Theodore E. Gildred in collaboration with Richard Atkinson, who later served as president of the University of California.
Funding
Much of our financial support comes from our Board of Directors, program Steering Groups and corporate members throughout the Americas.
Members
We appreciate the generous support of our corporate and individual patrons.
FAQ's
View a full list of the most frequently asked questions.
Richard C. Hojel
Chairman
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Nelson W. Cunningham
Vice Chairman
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Malin Burnham
Vice Chairman
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Francisco Xavier Salazar Diez de Sollano
Regional Energy Integration Non-Resident Fellow
(858) 964-1715
Bio
Sherry White
Board Secretary, Senior Advisor to the President for Strategic Initiatives
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Bio
Jamal Khokhar
President & CEO
Jamal Khokhar became President and CEO of the Institute of the Americas in the fall of 2015. The Institute, based on the campus of the University of California – San Diego, is an impartial independent non-profit organization working with North American public and private sectors, non-profit leaders and academia, to promote economic development and sound public policies in the Western Hemisphere. Prior, Mr. Khokhar was a senior career diplomat with Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Development. From 2010-2015, he was Canada’s Ambassador to Brazil. Previously, Mr. Khokhar served at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., where he was responsible for managing Canada’s relations with the U.S. Congress. While Director General for Latin American and the Caribbean at Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, he helped craft Canada’s Strategy for Engagement in the Americas. As Regional Director General for Latin American and the Caribbean at the Canadian International Development Agency, he oversaw Canada’s bilateral development assistance programming for the region. In 2006, he joined the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, D.C. as Chief of Staff to the President and later led the creation of the IDB’s Department of Outreach and Partnerships – a department dedicated to establishing innovative partnership with the private sector.
Francisco Xavier Salazar Diez de Sollano
Regional Energy Integration Non-Resident Fellow
Francisco Xavier Salazar Diez de Sollano is the inaugural Regional Energy Integration Non-Resident Fellow at the Institute of the Americas, an inter-American public policy think tank located at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The Institute of the Americas Energy Program works to foster a deeper understanding of the most critical energy issues facing the Western Hemisphere. Salazar’s term as a non-resident fellow will include analysis of key public policy issues for the energy sector in the Americas; he will conduct research and provide insights and analysis on energy and regulatory issues with an emphasis on Mexico, Central America and the countries of the Pacific Alliance. Since 2015, Salazar has served as Chair of the Mexican Chapter of the World Energy Council. From 2005 to 2015 he served as Chairman of the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) time during which he was an active promoter of the energy reform in Mexico. In 2006 he was elected as Vice-President of the Ibero-American Energy Regulators Association (ARIAE), and from 2011 to 2015 he was the Chair of the same association. Prior to being a regulator, he served as a Chairman of the Energy Committee at the Chamber of Deputies. He also was involved in the Chemical Sector for several years. Mr. Salazar holds an MSc in Public Financial Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a BSc in Chemical Engineering from the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi, and Diploma studies in Law and Economics from Universities in Mexico and the United Kingdom. He has taught courses on Public Finance and Monetary Economics at local universities in San Luis Potosi, and written on the use of economic instruments in environmental public policy, as well as on energy policy and regulation. Mr. Salazar has also participated as member of editorial boards from major newspapers and business magazines in Mexico.
Jeremy Martin
Vice President, Energy & Sustainability
Jeremy Martin is the director of the Energy Program at the Institute of the Americas, an inter-American public policy think tank located at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The Institute of the Americas Energy Program works to foster a deeper understanding of the most critical energy issues facing the Western Hemisphere. Jeremy spends his time delving into the geopolitics of energy and closely following energy industry trends and policy issues across the Americas, and is a frequent commentator and writer on Latin American and energy issues. Jeremy has testified before the US Congress on energy issues in Latin America, teaches a graduate seminar in Latin American Energy Politics at the University of San Diego (USD), and serves as Curator of the energy section of the US-Mexico Network, an online forum hosted by the University of Southern California (USC). Thanks to his upbringing, he is a diehard Red Sox fan, Civil War buff, and news junkie. Jeremy graduated with honors in History from The Citadel in Charleston, SC and a Masters in International Affairs/International Development from the American University in Washington, DC. He has yet to achieve his lifelong dream of being a Stand-Up Comic.
Carlos Martínez-Vela
Vice President, Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Dr. Carlos Martínez-Vela recently joined the Institute of the Americas as Vice President for the new Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program. The Innovation & Entrepreneurship Program joins Energy & Sustainability as the two principal drivers of the Institute’s new strategy. A native of Monterrey, México, Carlos comes to the Institute after nearly 20 years in Boston. There, he completed his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees at MIT specializing on local innovation systems and the role of universities in regional growth and transformation. At MIT, he mobilized the coalition that led MIT to create the MIT-Mexico Program. Subsequently, he worked for 8 years in Massachusetts’ public and private sectors designing and implementing projects to foster innovation, entrepreneurship and industry cluster formation and growth. In the public sector, he had a similar focus as Director of Innovation Policy at the Innovation Institute of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. In the private sector, he served as Executive Director and President of the Venture Café Foundation, where he also led the creation of District Hall, the world’s first civic innovation center. Over 2015-16, working with the MIT Industrial Performance Center, he conducted research on Brazil’s national innovation system and launched the Border Economies project, in collaboration with El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, to examine the emergence of a binational innovation system in El Paso-Juárez. Carlos is a frequent speaker, panelist, guest lecturer and executive education instructor in national and international academic, policy, and business forums. He has been an advisor to such organizations as the Brookings Institution, Detroit’s New Economy Initiative, the Consulate General of Mexico in Boston, and the Mexico-U.S. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Council (MUSEIC). While in Boston, he was featured as an emerging business leader by The Boston Business Journal. In 2014 Carlos joined Governor Deval Patrick as part of Massachusetts’ official private sector delegation in the Innovation Partnership Mission to Mexico.
Regina Calvario
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program Associate
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Carlos Fernández
Web Administrator/Graphics Designer
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Nora Livesay
Director, Finance
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Rita Oliveira
Energy Program Associate & Office Manager
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Maria Luisa Reyes
STEM Programs Administrator
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Diana Rodríguez
Energy Program Associate & Facilities Manager
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Jacqueline Sanchez
Energy Policy Associate
Sherry White
Board Secretary, Senior Advisor to the President for Strategic Initiatives
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