Speakers

Mr. Ian Saunders is a leader with over 20 years of experience in customs and 30 years of experience in international relations. He has been a member of the Senior Executive Service of the U.S. Government since 2008 and is currently the Secretary General of the WCO.

Mr. Pete Flores holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration from San Diego State University. He was a senior executive at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Ms. Sabatino graduated from Fordham University in New York City with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology and a specialization in Philosophy. She later graduated from the John F. Kennedy School of Government's Senior Executive Program in National and International Security and the Department of Homeland Security's Partnership for Public Service Fellowship Program.

Executive Assistant Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Trade

Executive Director Cargo and Conveyance Security (CCS) Office of Field Operations (OFO) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

Ms. Amato recently transitioned into her role as the Director, CTPAT. Previously, Ms. Amato was the Assistant Director, Field Operations for Trade where she had oversight over the complex and dynamic Trade and Agriculture operations for the entire state of Florida.

Mr. Collins has extensive operational-level Counter Terrorism, Counter Narcotics, Counter Insurgency, Counter Threat Finance, and Counter Transnational Organized Crime experience,

Mr. John Priddy graduated from the Senior Executive Service Development Program at the American University's Department of Homeland Security. He is currently the Executive Director of the Southeast Region for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Air and Marine Operations (AMO).

Mr. Carlos C. Martel graduated with honors from the University of California, Los Angeles. Currently, he serves as the Director of Field Operations (DFO) for the Miami and Tampa Field Offices (MFO/TFO).

Mr. Robert E. Perez is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of P4 Partners. His distinguished career in federal law enforcement culminated with serving as the Deputy Commissioner for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Mr. Ferrara served as the Executive Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Field Operations, the largest office within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). In this role, Mr. Ferrara was responsible for more than 33,000 employees, including over 28,000 CBP Officers and Agriculture Specialists

Brenda Smith serves as the Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of International Trade, at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Ms. Cynthia Whittenburg graduated from the Senior Executive Candidate Development Program at the Department of Homeland Security in 2013 and from the Senior Managers in Government course at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in 2016.

Viceminister of Foreign Affairs of Dominican Republic - Bachelor of Law, Magna Cum Laude from the Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña, with a postgraduate degree in International Relations from the Diplomatic School of Spain and a Master’s degree in Marketing from BARNA Business School.

Velma Ricketts Walker is an International Trade and Revenue Administration Executive. She has over 19 years of experience in customs administration, trade facilitation, risk analysis, international trade, security, compliance and enforcement.

Soraya Valdivieso has extensive professional experience, including 15 years of service to the Panamanian State

Mr. Touhy oversees the Miami CTPAT Field Office and assumes responsibility for operations and global deployment of the office’s Supply Chain Security Specialists, whose primary goal is the security and facilitation of legitimate cargo into the United States. Serving as a Supply Chain Security Specialist in Miami from 2005 until 2018, Mr. Touhy has conducted or participated in over 500 validations in 40 countries. Mr. Touhy was recognized by the World Customs Organization (WCO) in 2023 for his significant contribution to CBP’s trade facilitation measures in the signing of the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) with the United Kingdom.

As a CBP Officer/Montreal Preclearance, Mr. Touhy was a member of the Passenger Analytical Unit (PAU)/Counter-Terrorism Response Team (CTRT), which specialized in the focused screening of passengers entering the U.S. from Canada. Mr. Touhy was recognized for his enforcement actions and joint efforts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the National Targeting Center (NTC), and the Canada Border Security Agency (CBSA) to further CBP’s goals and foreign initiatives.

Mr. Touhy was a member of the Contraband Enforcement Team (CET)/Anti-Smuggling Unit (ASU) at Port Everglades, Florida. This team was responsible for the detection and interdiction of contraband concealed within containerized cargo and maritime vessels. Mr. Touhy received a superior achievement award for his significant contribution and was provided a letter of commendation by the Resident Special Agent in Charge (RAC) and the United States Attorney (USA) for his role in testifying and convicting multiple narcotics traffickers.

A graduate of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, Mr. Touhy began his career in 1998 as a U.S. Customs Service Inspector assigned to Port Everglades, Florida, after receiving the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) Highest Distinguished Student Award.

Carlos serves as the advisor to Luis Alberto Jaramillo Granja, Director General of the National Customs Service of Ecuador (SENAE).

John Edwin Mein is the Executive Coordinator of PROCOMEX – Aliança Pró Modernização Logística do Comércio Exterior, a business coalition focused on the modernization of customs processes in Brazil.

Peruvian economist, entrepreneur, and politician, is the founding president of the San Ignacio de Loyola Educational Corporation, an institution with a presence in Peru, Paraguay, and the United States.

He has served as the First Vice President of the Republic, State Minister, Congressman for Lima, and has been a candidate for the Presidency of the Republic and the Mayor’s Office of Lima. He is considered a pioneer in Peru in the food franchise business.

Raúl Diez Canseco Terry was born in Lima, Peru, on January 23, 1948. He attended primary school at Colegio de La Inmaculada and completed his secondary education at Colegio Maristas de San Isidro.

In his youth, he worked as a surveyor’s assistant during the construction of the Marginal de la Selva Highway and completed his mandatory military service in 1966 in the Peruvian Navy.

He later earned his degree in Economics in 1972 from the Universidad del Pacífico.

Senior Vice President at Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce

Director Marketing & Air Service Development - Miami-Dade Aviation Department Miami International Airport (MIA)

With over 17 years as CEO of VMI Security, my journey has been fueled by a passion for strategic growth and innovation in security X-ray technology. VMI Security has emerged as a global leader in the industry, delivering cutting-edge equipment, software, services, and solutions to over 100 countries. Our systems have inspected millions of containers, trucks, and baggage across diverse sectors, playing a crucial role in enhancing security worldwide.

Director Regional LATAM VMI Security LATAM

Lawyer from the Universidad de los Andes and MBA from the Imperial College London of Science, Technology & Medicine. Currently, he is the CEO of PROTEKTO AMERICAS, a company specializing in cargo traceability.

Professor of Supply Chain Management at the College of Business at Florida Atlantic University

President of Board of Directors BASC Guatemala Chapter

Mr. Moncayo has spent much of his professional career serving the U.S. Federal Government, where he worked for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and DHS in different positions in security, intelligence and analysis, international relations, employee training and development, more.

Ms. Suzanne Lemaitre has dedicated her professional career to supporting the growth and prosperity of the private sector for more than 18 years. She has worked with significant business-led nonprofit organizations from the United States and Latin America on issues related to economic development and supply chain security.

-Industrial Engineer – INTEC
– MBA in Business Administration: Marketing / Finance concentration
– Corporate Ontological Coach – EICONEX
– Executive Director at BASC Dominicana
– International BASC Certification Auditor
– Risk Manager ISO 31000
– Internal Auditor ISO 9001:2015, ISO 28000, ISO 37001
– Member of the Trade Facilitation Committee (CFC) AMCHAMDR
– Principal Member: WBO Technical Committee
– Member of the ANRD Maritime Security Committee
– Private Sector Representative, Risk Management Table – Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs (MICM) – Trade SAFE (TRASA) Project