Jeremy Martin, Vice President Energy & Sustainability Jeremy M. Martin is Vice President, Energy & Sustainability 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 & Sustainability 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 course in Latin American Energy Policy at UCSD and the University of San Diego (USD) and serves on the Board of Advisors for the Inter-American Dialogue’s Energy Advisor newsletter. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the San Diego Diplomacy Council and is a member of the host committee for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation San Diego Chapter annual Bet on Cures event. 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.

Sherry White, Vicepresident and Board Secretary Ms. White has been an integral member of the staff of the Institute of the Americas having served in a number of capacities; Community Program Director, Board Secretary, Director Special Projects and Development, Innovation Program Director (Biotech, Health and Science), and now as Senior Advisor, Strategic Initiatives while continuing as Board Secretary to the Institute’s international Board of Directors. In her time with the Institute, she has organized and implemented a plethora of events and programs including small, private gatherings and board meetings throughout the hemisphere, seminars, workshops, and large-scale events such as fundraising events, Institute anniversary events, and black-tie award galas for current and former Latin American heads of state. She organized a series of events bringing Latin American entrepreneurs, innovation intermediaries, and government officials to learn about San Diego’s innovation ecosystem; design thinking; tech transfer; and, other key elements for a successful innovation ecosystem. Currently, she is a member of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I &E) Program team seeking partnerships with various entities to launch new activities and expand existing ones. Her primary focus is on biotech, health, and science programming for a range of audiences including public officials, private sector leaders, academia, journalists, and entrepreneurs in the form of visiting delegation missions, workshops, seminars, and customized programming.

Nora Livesay. Nora Livesay is currently the Director of Finance for the Institute of the Americas, a not for profit organization located on the campus of the University of California, San Diego.
Ms. Livesay graduated Magna Cum Laude from Radford University, Radford, Virginia, with a BS degree in business, emphasis accounting. She has over 30 years of work experience for three not for profit organizations and has been responsible for the proper allocation and accounting of restricted donor, foundation and grant funds, along with the required financial reporting for government grant awards. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, reading, movies, and sporting events.

Rita Oliveira, Energy Program Associate & Office Manager. Rita Oliveira is a Program Associate for the Energy and Sustainability Program. She is also the Office and HR Manager as well as Assistant to the President. Rita holds a Bachelor Degree in Economics from Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Portugal and MBA from National University, in San Diego. Prior to joining the Institute, she worked as a collector at Chase Home Finance in San Diego and as an Assistant Manager for F. Abecassis in Portugal.

Cecilia Aguillon, Director, Energy Transition Initiative. Cecilia Aguillon is the Director of the Energy Transition Initiative at the Institute of the Americas, an impartial and independent non-profit organization promoting dialogue and collaboration across the Western Hemisphere to foster sound public policies and to advance sustainable inclusive economic growth and prosperity. She enables public-private dialogues to develop sustainable renewable energy markets. Cecilia worked at Kyocera Solar, Inc. in California on Business Development and Government Relations for 18 years. She worked with policy makers on designing solar energy programs and renewable portfolio standards for implementation across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. She developed these initiatives in cooperation with several trade associations throughout the United States. She served on the board of the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CalSEIA) and participated in the design and implementation of the California Solar Initiative. She is currently on the board of the Climate Action Campaign working to implement sustainable energy programs for San Diego, California.

Martha Pizani Bio Coming Soon!

Carlos Fernández, Webmaster, Graphic Designer, and Video-Audio Supervisor. Prior to his current position at the Institute, Carlos did freelance work as Web Developer, Graphic Designer and Multimedia consultant. He also worked for JVC Electronics and for the marketing department at The LandAmerica Financial Group the third largest title insurance group in the US, where he worked as Junior Web Developer and Graphic Artist. A native of Spain, Carlos moved to San Diego, California in 1999. In 2001 he graduated as Web Designer at the North Media Center. From 2001-2004 he attended San Diego City College at the Graphic and Multimedia Design Department.

Diana Rodríguez, Energy Program Associate & Facilities Manager. Diana Rodríguez has been Energy & Sustainability Program Associate for over nine years. Diana also is the Institute’s Facilities Manager. Prior to joining the Institute, Diana worked assisting the DCM at the Embassy of Colombia in Washington, D.C., for seven years. She holds a BA on International Trade from Los Libertadores University in Colombia.

Eva Luz Sánchez Alvarez. Eva Luz es una Doctora en Ciencias que condujo su trabajo de investigación doctoral en el laboratorio Hildebrand en la División de Biología Marina en el Instituto Scripps de Oceanografía (SIO) en la Universidad de California San Diego (UCSD). Su investigación se enfocó en bioenergía algal y metabolismo de fitoplancton al desarrollar condiciones de cultivo para maximizar la productividad de cepas de microalgas de interés industrial para producción de bioenergía. Eva tiene más de una década de experiencia trabajando con algas microscópicas. Recibió su título de Bióloga y de Maestra en Ciencias en Ecología Molecular y Biotecnología por parte de la Universidad Autónoma de Baja California y su título de Maestra en Ciencias en Biología Marina y de Doctora en Ciencias en Biología Marina por parte de SIO-UCSD. Se desempeñó como instructora de bioenergética y sistemas en la Universidad de San Diego y actualmente es Asistente de Dirección en Programas STEM y docente de investigación clínica en la Universidad Xochicalco, Campus Tijuana.

Jacqueline Sanchez, Energy Policy Associate.

Jacqueline Sanchez serves as Energy & Sustainability Policy Associate at the Institute of the Americas in La Jolla, California, where she focuses on energy and sustainability policy development issues with countries in Latin America. Jacqueline has actively participated in climate change and renewable energy endeavors including being part of the U.S. Department of Energy and APEC program: “Women Empowerment in the Renewable Energy Sector” where she was amongst the 13 finalists and travelled to Singapore to join the final phase of the program; becoming a Climate Reality Leader for Al Gore’s Initiative: The Climate Reality Project; and participating in California’s Governor’s: Global Climate Action Summit.

Before her current role, she worked for the British government as Senior Trade and Investment Officer leading the Renewable Energy and Environment sectors.

Jacqueline holds two bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration and Accountancy with concentration on International Business from New Mexico State University (NMSU) and an MBA from Mexico’s Institute of Technology (ITAM) in Mexico City. Ms. Sanchez’s postgraduate education includes a diploma in Project Management from ITAM and a certificate in Economics for Foreign Policy from London School of Economics (LSE).

Ms. Sanchez has over ten years of experience in international business development covering different sectors and she has a broad knowledge of the U.S., U.K., Mexico and other markets in Latin America. Jacqueline has worked, lived and studied in the U.S., Mexico, France, and Ecuador, and speaks Spanish, English and French.

Hannah Oikawa, Strategic Engagement Intern

Coming soon

Leonardo Beltran was Deputy Secretary for Planning and Energy Transition en the Administration of President Peña Nieto (2012-2018). As part of his responsibilities he was appointed non-executive director of CFE and Pemex. He was the Chief Planning Officer and the Chief Technology Officer in the Mexican Energy Sector. He studied a Master´s in Public Administration in International Development from the Harvard Kennedy School, a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico, and studied Law in the Faculty of Law of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México.

In 2005, Mr. Beltran joined Secretaria de Energia (SENER) as Director for International Negotiations, participating in high level meetings of the Energy Working Group of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Mechanism (APEC), the International Energy Agency, the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, and in bilateral and multilateral negotiations with the governments of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, India, New Zealand, Spain, and United States of America.

In 2010, Mr. Beltran was appointed Director-General for Information and Energy Studies at SENER, where he took part in the National System of Science and Technology and collaborated in the Technology and Science Research Information System of the National Science and Technology Council, as well as the Special Program on Science and Technology. He also coordinated the interdepartmental working group on Carbon Capture, Use and Storage, and the working group to develop the Sustainable Building Mexican Voluntary Standard.

Leonardo Beltran has been a consultant for the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. He was part of the International Affairs division of the campaign and transition team of President Enrique Peña Nieto.

Leonardo Beltran has been part of the World Economic Forum´s Council of the Future of Electricity (2014-2016), and the Council of the Future of Energy (2016-2018). Currently he is a member of the Advisory Council of the Partnering to Accelerate Sustainable Energy Innovation Project. Since 2017 is a member of the Administrative Board of Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL), and in 2018 he joined the Board of Fundacion por Mexico. He is also a consultant to the World Bank.

Nelson Narciso Filho holds graduate degrees in Industrial Administration and Economic Engineering from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and an undergraduate degree in Mechanic Engineering from Souza Marques University. He has held multiple senior executive positions at Exploration and Production (E&P) companies and service providers in the oil and gas industry, such as HRT Africa, Halliburton, ABB, Vetco Gray and Hughes WKM. He has accumulated over 35 years of solid experience and extensive knowledge of management and business development in E&P, as well as start-up operations in Brazil, Angola and Namibia. In addition, he was Director of the Brazilian regulatory agency for oil, natural gas, and biofuels (ANP) from 2006 to 2010, when developed a broad vision of the sector’s regulation, having participated in numerous international forums where he was responsible for introducing the Brazilian market dynamics and promoting investment in the country. During his term, he led the creation of the Local Content Coordinating Body, led the Gas Flaring Reduction program, Improvement of Production Fiscal Metering program, Bidding Rounds and Integrated System for products movement.

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.