Credit: Linkedin / María José Espinosa has been selected as Interim President of Engage Cuba!

DIPLOMATIC TIMES STAFF

María José Espinosa has been selected as Interim President of Engage Cuba! Espinosa will be replacing James Williams who left as President of Engage Cuba as July 17 to join Arnold Ventures as the Vice President of Advocacy leading their advocacy efforts around criminal justice reform in the United States. Engage Cuba, based in Washington D.C.  is a national coalition of private companies, organizations, and local leaders dedicated to advancing federal legislation to lift the 60-year-old Cuba embargo in order to empower the Cuban people and open opportunities for U.S. businesses. Ms. Espinosa brings over a decade of international experience in policy research, advocacy, and global international relations to Engage Cuba.  She will continue in her current role as Director of Programs at the Center for Democracy in the Americas (CDA), where she leads transformative action in foreign policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean by leading high-level U.S. delegations, including Members of Congress, policy leaders, and philanthropists on trips to Cuba, Central America, and the U.S.-Mexico border. Ms. Espinosa was recently named one of the 40 Latino and Latina National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders of 2020 by the New America Foundation and the Diversity in National Security Network.

“I’m delighted to announce that I’m joining Engage Cuba as Interim President. It is an honor to lead Engage in building momentum to end the travel and trade embargo on Cuba and in championing U.S.-Cuba relations based on engagement and mutual respect. We are facing a critical, high-stakes moment for U.S.-Cuba relations. The current U.S. administration has rolled back the process of normalization and returned to a policy of isolation that has only harmed the U.S. and Cuban people. Next year promises to be challenging. We’re approaching a period of change, which also brings new opportunities. As Interim President, I will work hard in identifying paths to champion the normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations, advancing the interests of the U.S. and the Cuban people, and in harnessing support for ending the embargo and the travel limitations.”

-María José Espinosa   Interim President of Engage Cuba!

María José holds an M.Sc. in Tourism and Environmental Economics from the Universitat de les Illes Balears in Spain, an M.Sc. in Economics from the University of Havana in Cuba, and a B.A. (honors) in Economics from the University of Havana.