The GCL 2024 cohort with President DeGioia in Riggs Library

2023-2024 LALP Annual Report

During the 2023-2024 academic year, Georgetown University's Latin America Leadership Program (LALP) marked several significant milestones. With GCL 2024, LALP's alumni network reached 900 members across 23 countries, we redesigned our program branding, we celebrated 10 years of our Innovation and Leadership in Government (ILG) program,  and we expanded our flagship program offerings with the launch of a third annual program, the Global Business Executive Leadership (GBEL) program for regional business leaders. This annual report offers a glimpse of these milestones together with a selection of the latest news illustrating our academic offerings' growing reach, our alumni network's impact, and the various initiatives we led to strengthen the ties between Georgetown University and the Latin American and Caribbean region.

Overview

LALP Program Reach as of June 30, 2024

18+
Years of Programming

18 years of GCL | 10 years of ILG | 9 years of LALP custom programs

900
LALP Alumni (flagship programs)

636 GCL alumni | 264 ILG alumni 

23
Countries Represented

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Uruguay, United States (Puerto Rico), Venezuela

5,595
LinkedIn Followers

Follow us on @georgetownlalp

15,500
Facebook Followers

Follow us at @GeorgetownLatAm, 

@GCLGeorgetown, @GeorgetownILG

3,945
X Followers

Follow us at @GeorgetownLatAM

1,946
Instagram Followers

Follow us at @georgetownlatam

Welcome

Dear friends,

Annual reports always provide a great opportunity to reflect and reminisce about what we have accomplished together. When we kicked off this academic year back in July 2023, we indeed envisioned some of the changes ahead, but little did we understand the transformation we were meant to lead.

As with every academic year, in September, we kicked off our academic programming with a new edition of our Innovation and Leadership in Government (ILG) Program. With ILG 2023, we celebrated 10 years of the program, welcoming 31 leaders from public, multilateral, and non-profit organizations from 15 countries across the Americas, including Jamaica for the first time in our history. Participants’ projects aimed to provide innovative solutions to their citizens’ needs across the region, spanning a variety of themes, and our 10th cohort got to learn from a multitude of local experts, top Georgetown University faculty, and renowned guest speakers, including our 2023 ILG Impact Award Winner Sebastian Palacios, Ecuador’s former Minister of Sports.

In January, we opened the 18th edition of our Global Competitiveness Leadership (GCL) program, with 32 participants from 15 countries, as we continued to expand our reach to the Caribbean with admitted candidates from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. GCL 2024 projects showcased the region's incredible diversity and the most promising talent striving to realize positive social change. As with ILG, GCL participants got to learn from top Georgetown University faculty, guest speakers, and GCL alumni, including our 2024 GCL Impact Award winner, Pato Bichara, CEO of Collective Academy. With this cohort, our alumni network reached 900 alumni.

With these milestones, this year marked the perfect time to conduct a new study to identify and map the impact of our GCL alumni since the program's inception in 2007. Working with nómade Consulting, a research firm from Uruguay, we found that more than half of the respondents indicated that they have implemented their GCL projects, and 37% continue working on the same project to this day. Likewise, more than 80% of respondents stated that their GCL project was the precedent or inspiration for other projects. The qualitative responses we received also highlighted the deep personal significance of the program for our alumni and the variety of opportunities that the program has given them to multiply their impact thanks to our rich and diverse alumni network. The overall study findings indicate that the GCL program has achieved its objectives, encouraging us to continue working for new generations of participants in this and other LALP programs. 

This year also was the perfect time to launch a new flagship program. As I departed my role as Managing Director of the Latin American Board last fall, I decided to further scale the multiplier effect of LALP programs across the region. As such, we designed a new flagship program, the Global Business Executive Leadership (GBEL) program, for regional business leaders. As we got ready to close this academic year in June, we kicked off the first edition of GBEL in Panama with a cohort of 23 business executives from 12 countries. The program will culminate on the Georgetown campus this fall, where participants will apply their newly acquired tools and skills to a specific business project proposal that responds to their organizations' needs. To celebrate these milestones and this new era for LALP, we launched a new image for LALP and our flagship programs.

Thank you for joining us and sharing our vision of educating, connecting, and inspiring regional leaders to create impact networks across Latin America and the Caribbean with a positive multiplier effect. I hope you enjoy this review of our past academic year.

Sincerely,

Ricardo Ernst

Programs

As part of Georgetown University's continuous commitment to Latin America, LALP designs and implements three annual flagship programs - the Global Competitiveness Leadership program (GCL), the Innovation and Leadership in Government program (ILG), and the Global Business Executive Leadership program (GBEL). These long-standing and internationally renowned executive education programs have become a landmark of Georgetown University's engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean, and they have resulted in a growing and impactful regional platform for leaders whose projects are generating a multiplier effect of social impact across the region.

ILG 2023 posing in front of Healy Hall at Georgetown University

ILG 2023 - Celebrating 10 Years of Impact in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Innovation and Leadership in Government Program (ILG) celebrated its 10th anniversary this year with a showcase of incredible projects across ten thematic areas and fifteen countries, including, for the first time, Jamaica. This tenth edition, which counted on the renewed support of USAID, welcomed 31 leaders from the public, social, and international cooperation sectors across the region, helping the ILG Alumni network surpass 260 members spanning 19 countries.

Learn More

ILG 2023

31
Participants
15
Countries Represented

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay

22
Cities Represented
10
Project Areas
40
Average Age
GCL 2024 cohort in front of Healy Hall

GCL 2024 Catapults LALP to 900 Alumni Across Latin America and the Caribbean

The cohort of the 18th edition of the Global Competitiveness Leadership Program (GCL) included 32 individuals that showcase the vast diversity and the most promising talent in the region striving to realize social change. This year's cohort consisted of 20 women and 12 men, marking the second year in a row of increased participation from female leaders in the region. With this cohort, LALP’s alumni network officially reached 900 alumni across 23 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. GCL 2024 projects spanned 12 project areas, with the three most common ones being diversity, equity, and inclusion; agriculture and rural development; and education.

Learn More

GCL 2024

32
Participants
15
Countries Represented

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United States (Puerto Rico), Venezuela

26
Cities Represented
12
Project Areas
32
Average Age

GBEL 2024 - Launch of a New LALP Flagship Program

This academic year, Georgetown University’s Latin America Leadership Program launched its third flagship program, the Global Business Executive Leadership (GBEL), designed to equip business executives working in Latin America and the Caribbean with the knowledge, skills, and strategic insights needed to navigate the complex global business landscape.  The program kicked off with a three-day in- person residency in Panama from June 10 through June 12, followed by an eight-week virtual module, and culminating in Washington, DC with a final residency at Georgetown University from September 9 through September 11, 2024. The program goes beyond a traditional academic program, providing an innovative model to promote experiential learning. The curriculum combines academic courses offering theoretical frameworks along with practical tools, knowledge, and applications facilitated through group discussions, case simulations, and peer-to- peer exercises. There is a strong emphasis on open dialogue, class engagement,  and peer learning. As part of the program, participants will develop an applied business project proposal where they will identify a challenge or an opportunity they  currently face in their company and propose a comprehensive strategy to address it. 

Here you can view a video recap of our #GBEL2024 kick-off in Panama this past June. The first academic in-person module of our inaugural GBEL program included high level speakers like Sergio Diaz Granados from CAF -Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina y el Caribe, Stanley Motta from Copa Airlines, Aimee Sentmat from Banistmo, Samuel Lewis, and Olga Cantillo from Bolsa Latinoamericana de Valores, as well as visits to the Panama Canal, Ciudad del Saber Foundation, Copa Simulator, Panama Pacifico and the distribution center of Skechers, together with academic sessions with our executive director Ricardo Ernst and Diane Garza iCatalyze Leadership Development & Coaching, LLC.

#GBEL2024 cohort is composed by Fernanda De Mora, María Florencia Rizzardi, Andrea Ramos, José Fernando Mejía Villa, Juan Carlos Sánchez Durán, Jesús Alberto Valadez Reyes, Eddy Shariff Gutiérrez García, Rolando Durán, Andrés Escobar, Carlos Herrera, Luis Felipe Rojas, Alejandro Guillén, Manolo Muralles, Santiago Renato Tible Marroquín, Carlos Octavio Castillo, Rubén F. Sanchez, Selvyn Rodas, José Manuel Calvo, Ana Marcela Cerdas, Humberto Villalobos, Angiemille Latorre, Andrés Añez Bustillos and Harold Alexander Hernandez

Designing New Custom Programs for the Region

Nearshoring program participants on Zoom

HUGE-CAROLA-LALP Nearshoring and Sustainable Investment in the Americas Program

Program participants visiting the AstraZeneca headquarters

Jeffrey Group/AstraZeneca Journalism and Storytelling Program for Health Policies

Participants of the NY Life/Seguros Monterrey program in front of the Healy building

NY Life/Seguros Monterrey Organizational Culture Transformation Program

Get to Know Our Impact

LALP Alumni Annual Reunions

GCL alumni gather in Monterrey
GCL Alumni Reunion in Monterrey (2023)

The 2023 GCL Alumni Reunion was held in the vibrant city of Monterrey, Mexico, from November 16 to 18, 2023. This meeting, marked by its diversity and richness of content, brought together more than 30 emerging leaders representing a network of 600 leaders from 23 countries, a testament to this program's growing impact and expansion in the region.

ILG alumni gather in Brasilia
2023 Annual ILG Alumni Reunion

The 2023 ILG Alumni Reunion took place in Brasilia from November 6 to 10, 2023, focusing on the new paradigms and challenges facing the Latin American region in the face of accelerated changes. With the theme of "Managing in Times of Transformation," it featured group discussions, networking opportunities, and case studies to analyze how leaders can adapt to technological changes and modernization policies in the public sector.  

Message from the Presidents of the LALP Alumni Networks

Carina Silva portrait

The past year has witnessed remarkable progress for our network of over 600 leaders in the region, who have positively impacted everything from international organizations to local startups. We acknowledge the hard work of our alumni in different countries, and this network is undoubtedly the space where impacts should continue to be enhanced by generating connections that affect the region. As the final period of this Board of Directors, we are not only pleased with the 2023 alumni reunion in Monterrey, Mexico, but also to announce that the next alumni reunion will take place in Ecuador in 2024, thus expanding our reach and fostering new connections. Finally, we want to highlight recent achievements, including the GCL impact study, as well as the launch of the new "Coffee House" series, a virtual networking platform to connect alumni from all generations. Let's continue working together to transform lives and contribute to the development of Ibero-America.

Carina Silva, GCL 2020, Uruguay | 2022-2024 GCL Alumni Network President

Isabel Portrait

Since our beginnings on the board of directors of the ILG Alumni network, my team and I have been committed to improving the internal governance of a rich and diverse group of more than 200 change agents in the region with a vocation to contribute from their different areas of influence and sectors (Government, Civil Society, International Organizations) to the comprehensive, sustainable and democratic development of Latin America. During this period, from the Board, we developed a 3-year strategic plan and launched a series of thematic webinars on key aspects of the economy for the region, including training and special sessions. We also proposed new program content that responded to the regional context and we provided alumni mentoring support to the program participants. In addition, we welcomed ILG Brazil alumni at our annual meeting last November in Brasilia, where we strengthened our space with the OAS Public Policy Observatory, and we are now organizing our upcoming annual meeting to celebrate 10 years of the network in the city of Lima, Peru. As president of this incredible alumni network, I deeply value the commitment and dedication of all our alumni, who play a crucial role in the training of the new generations of ILG. I firmly believe in the positive impact that each of us can have on the region's future, and I convey my deep appreciation to the LALP team, who always accompanies us and supports us in our various initiatives.


Isabel Fiafilio, ILG 2020, Peru | 2022-2024 ILG Alumni Network
Pato Bichara, CEO of Collective Academy

Pato Bichara Wins 2024 GCL Impact Award

Patricio “Pato” Bichara Assad (GCL 2009, Mexico), Founder and CEO of Collective Academy, has been awarded the 2024 GCL Impact Award. Through his initiative, Collective Academy, Pato is spearheading a revolutionary approach to professional and corporate education in Mexico and Latin America. His leadership and vision have been key in designing and implementing cutting-edge practical learning platforms tailored to the evolving needs of professionals in the region.

Learn More
Daniel Morales

Daniel Morales Jaramillo Wins 2024 ILG Impact Award

Daniel Morales, ILG 2015, was selected as the winner of the 2024 ILG Impact Award for his longstanding career leading innovative initiatives for the transformation of processes and the acquisition of new technologies that support financial inclusion and education in Ecuador.

Learn More

LALP Alumni as of June 30, 2024


Close

LALP Alumni Spotlight

In Conversation with Ronalth Ochaeta (ILG 2021)
In Conversation with Ronalth Ochaeta (ILG 2021)

The ILG Alumni Network interviewed Ronalth Ochaeta (ILG 2021, Guatemala), to learn more about his career and ILG experience. He is the current elected representative for the Department of Guatemala through the Semilla party, which he co-founded.

Magali Bejar (GCL 2023), named a Rising Star at the “Women that Build Awards”
Magali Bejar (GCL 2023), named a Rising Star at the “Women that Build Awards”

Magali Bejar (GCL 2023, Argentina) was named a Rising Star at the “Women that Build Awards” organized by Globant Awards. It recognized her tireless efforts to advance “Tiene que haber algo más”, an education company with social impact that helps to expand professional opportunities for Spanish-speaking networks.

Andrea Picaso
Andrea Picaso (ILG 2017) elected the first Deputy Minister of Human Capital and Organizational Management

Andrea Picaso (ILG 2017, Paraguay) has been appointed the first Deputy Minister of Human Capital and Organizational Management at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, recently established by the Government of Paraguay. The new Ministry of Economy and Finance assumes and expands the functions previously assigned to the Ministry of Finance, the Secretariat of Public Administration, and the Technical Secretariat for Economic and Social Development Planning.

Juan Ignacio Gowland
Juan Ignacio Gowland, ILG 2023, Receives Honorable Mention from GovTech Groundbreakers 2023

Juan Gowland (ILG 2023, Argentina) received an honorable mention from GovTech Groundbreakers 2023, an event organized by GLASS. This recognition acknowledges exceptional individuals who exhibit remarkable leadership within the GovTech community. Those recognized demonstrate a profound commitment to innovation, sustainability, and collaboration within the public sector at an international level, are actively exploring novel approaches within government, leverage emerging technologies to drive public innovation, and are devoted to shaping a sustainable future.

First session of Crea+ Peru in 2009
Crea+: A Decade of Transformative Education Redefining the Meaning of Volunteering

After participating in Georgetown University's Global Competitiveness Leadership Program (GCL), Luis Miguel Starke (GCL 2009, Peru) was inspired to create Crea+ Perú, which has profoundly impacted the lives of over 100,000 beneficiaries and volunteers alike across 22 cities in Peru and 1 in Colombia. Crea+ Peru has successfully established multiple revenue streams that have enabled it to become the largest self-sustaining volunteer organization in vocational education in the country, employing over 20 dedicated individuals.

Gustavo Lugo posing with other collaborators of the Juntanza Etnica Program
Strengthening Afro-Colombian and Indigenous Peoples in Colombia

As Strategy Manager for the Ethnic Chapter of the Peace Agreement of the USAID and ACDI/VOCA Juntanza Étnica Program, Gustavo Lugo (ILG 2018, Colombia) works to strengthen the governance, autonomy, identity, and development of indigenous and Afro-Colombian peoples through the preservation of their own sustainable practices.

Agustín Pesce
Agustín Pesce, ILG 2019, takes over as Director of the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic

Agustín Pesce (ILG 2019, Argentina) was recently appointed Director at the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic.  Agustin joins this new team of officials commissioned to implement responsible fiscal policies, carry out structural reforms that create an environment conducive to investment and growth, and emphasize the prevention of money laundering.  He has also been entrusted with the mission of improving and continuing to modernize the payment media ecosystem, a matter of utmost importance at both regional and global levels.

Cover of Impact Study

2007-2023 GCL Impact Study: Professional and Impact Outcomes of the GCL program

The Latin America Leadership Program (LALP) launched a study in August 2023 in collaboration with the GCL Alumni Network and with the support of the Uruguayan consulting firm nómade to explore how LALP's Global Competitiveness Leadership (GCL) program was perceived by their alumni in the region and understand how the program has contributed to them professionally and personally.

The survey was shared with the 604 GCL alumni spanning all 17 cohorts since the program was launched, from GCL 2007 to GCL 2023. A total of 256 responses were obtained, representing 43% of the alumni of the cohorts between 2007 and 2023. Findings were published in November 2023 and shared with the GCL Alumni Network during the 2023 GCL Alumni Reunion held in Monterrey on November 16-19, 2023.

"The great regional diversity that appears in all the aspects analyzed stands out: origin and place of residence of the alumni and location of projects, both GCL projects and those in which the respondents currently work. More than 20 Latin American countries are represented in this survey in all dimensions. This aspect represents a great richness of the program to preserve and highlight, both at the time of teaching the courses and the work developed subsequently with the alumni network." nómade consulting

A summary of the key findings follows below.

GCL Impact by the Numbers

89%
of alumni's GCL projects served as a precedent or inspiration for other projects
60%
of alumni implement their original GCL projects after the program ends
45%
of the implemented GCL projects remain active to this day
39%
of those alumni continue to work on their GCL project
31%
of GCL projects were replicated in other territories

Focus on the Region

The Latin America Leadership Program collaborates with other university centers, external institutions, and its extensive LALP alumni network to promote a deeper understanding of the current challenges and opportunities across Ibero-America and the Caribbean and strengthen Georgetown's engagement with the region. 

Events

Professor Ricardo Ernst at the GU Latam Conference

2023 GU LATAM Conference

Panelists of the conference

Democracy’s Future in Latin America

Screen with graph

ILG Alumni Webinar Series on Technology and Economy

President DeGioia, Professor Ernst and Maria Campo with members of the Latin American Board

In Recognition of Professor Ricardo Ernst, LAB Managing Director 2006-2023

GCG Journal

The Journal of Globalization, Competitiveness and Governability, published by Georgetown University, is a source of new ideas about the effects of globalization on the competitiveness and governability of businesses and countries in Latin America, and particularly on the tools available to managers and politicians to design better strategies to benefit their respective businesses and countries. 

Access the journal at gcgjournal.georgetown.edu

Editor in Chief: Professor Ricardo Ernst, Georgetown University, United States

Senior Editor: Professor Jose Ignacio López-Sánchez, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain

Recent Publications

GCG logo
Vol. 17 No. 3 (2023)

Summary: 

  • Explanatory factors of the firm internationalization strategy in a small economy. The case of the Uru- guayan exporting firm
  • "Soft Skills” and perceived professional performance during the Covid-19 pandemic
  • Firm characteristics as drivers of entrepreneurs' financial literacy
  • The Importance of Trust for Entrepreneurial Internationalization: Evidence from Mexico
  • The announcement effect of military intervention in Ukraine on the performance of developed stock markets and its relationship with economic growth. A case for event study
  • Risk management and contagious effect: the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on the brazilian agri- business sector
GCG logo
Vol. 18 No. 1 (2024)

Summary: 

  • Effects of environmental discontinuity on the performance of teaching hospitals in Brazil
  • Influence of deviation and budgetary turbulence in the primary outcome of local governments
  • Cryptocurrencies accounting treatment
  • Economic growth in Mexico after SARS Cov-2
  • Connectedness between regional financial markets: Evidence from Covid-19 and Russia- Ukraine conflict
  • Board diversity and compliance practices
GCG logo
Vol. 18 No. 2 (2024)

Summary: 

  • Explanatory factors of cash flow accounting choices of European listed entities
  • Impact of the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic on the effective tax rate of Brazilian companies
  • Application of Chatgpt 4.0 for solving accounting problems
  • Do knowledge sources and innovation culture promote frugal innovation?
  • Teleworking in the public service: A longitudinal study with administrative technical staff  from a Brazilian federal university
  • Does the compromise to sustainability, alignment with the SDGs and sustainable practices influence the market value of companies?

About Us

ABOUT THE LATIN AMERICA LEADERSHIP PROGRAM: 

Based in the McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University's Latin America Leadership Program (LALP) develops innovative non-degree executive education programs that aim to educate, connect, and inspire Latin American emergent leaders in the pursuit of the university's mission of teaching and service for the common good. LALP houses three annual flagship programs - the Global Competitiveness Leadership program (GCL), the Innovation and Leadership in Government program (ILG), and the Global Business Executive Leadership program (GBEL) - as well as a variety of custom programs for organizations across the region, the GCG academic digital journal, and a series of public dialogues and events that foster deeper links between Georgetown University and the Latin American region.

ABOUT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY:

Established in 1789, Georgetown is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in the United States. One of the world's leading academic and research institutions, Georgetown enrolls more than 17,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students across nine schools. A global institution, Georgetown provides a unique educational experience that prepares the next generation of global citizens to lead and make a difference in the world. The university's educational mission and international partnership seek to advance the global common good. 

Special Thanks to LALP Program Supporters

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Meet Our Team

Ricardo Ernst Portrait
Ricardo Ernst

Executive Director

Cristina Ruiz Portrait
Cristina Ruiz

Senior Associate Director 

Michael Guarino Portrait
Michael Guarino

Program Manager

Peter O'Donnell Portrait
Peter O'Donnell

Program Manager

Ana Gomez's Portrait
Ana Gomez Garces

Program Assistant

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Contact us at lalp@georgetown.edu