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SPEAKERS
Want to see who you will meet at the conference? Below you can read a little bit more about all of our amazing speakers! From UCLA professors, to Smithsonian researchers to artists, we guarantee there will be someone from your field of passion!
Rachel Flynn
Meet Rachel M. Flynn, the friendly face behind grade 2C education at the MET! Rachel isn't just a teacher – she's a passionate advocate for sustainability and waste reduction in every form imaginable. From food to clothing, plastic to water, and even cartons, Rachel's on a mission to make a difference and her impact goes beyond the classroom. Join Rachel at the MET Green conference, where she will share her secrets to weaving sustainability into education with warmth, humor, and a whole lot of heart. Get ready to be inspired and empowered to make a change, one eco-friendly step at a time, with Rachel there to cheer you on.
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Michelle Curtis
As an Ayurvedic Practitioner and Vaginal Hydrotherapist, my focus is on menstruation and menstruation education. I collaborate closely with WASH United, an organization dedicated to menstrual hygiene and human rights advocacy. My work aims to bridge the gap between traditional practices and modern health education, particularly in the realm of women's health.
Alfredo Medina
Business Strategist
Professional business strategist with over 28 years of experience generating new business opportunities within world class organizations across diverse industry sectors. By providing a broad understanding of financial products, I have been able to define strategies considering the industry trends, risks and customer needs to ensure delivering an exceptional result. 
People leader with strong experience in business development, international sales, commercial operations, asset management outcome-based value creation and multicultural negotiation with private and state owned/Government customers in compliance with locals laws, including direct advisory selling and channel partner’s development.
Embarked in the Energy Transition journey to create sustainable environments. on a digital world while continuously generating value for growth.
Dana Bustavino
Young Entrepreneur
Dana is a young entrepreneur and first-year high school student at El Colegio  Agustiniano de Chitré. Her generosity, sense of humor, and willingness to help others make her a  valuable member of the E-Sover team. As a founder of the E-Sover team, her ability to adapt and  thrive in different environments makes her adaptable and effective in any situation. 
Rafael Moreno
Young entrepreneur
Rafael is a young entrepreneur and sixth-year high school student at El Colegio  Agustiniano de Chitré. As a founder of the E-Sover team, Rafael has proven to be a visionary leader focused on success. His ability to work as part of a team and make strategic decisions has been  crucial to the project's progress. 
Bryan Mitre
Young entrepreneur
Bryan is a young, calm, charismatic, and friendly individual. He enjoys nature, seeing the positive side of things, spending time with friends, playing video games, and soccer. Bryan is a founding member of E-Sover.
Alexandra S. Guzman
Marine Biologist
Hi, I'm Alexandra Guzman Bloise, a marine biologist and the hub leader of the Sustainable Ocean Alliance in Panama. As an international NGO committed to ocean conservation through environmental education, we strive to raise awareness about the importance of protecting our marine resources and ecosystems. My passion lies in sharing knowledge and experiences to inspire action towards safeguarding our oceans and environment for a sustainable future.
Cristina Figueroa
Industrial engineer
Cristina is an Industrial engineer with a MBA, who has dedicated her last 9 years to live in a sustainable way. She has developed the 5 pillars philosophy for an eco sustainable system and teaches this philosophy to homes, schools and businesses. She is implementing the Food Waste Reduction and Management Program at MET, and other schools in Panamá and in México, developing consciousness in the whole community to value food, and the setting a Compost place and a vegetable garden, creating a virtuous circle and relationship with food for the wellbeing of the MET community. She believes that Compost is the most important way to reduce waste, therefore she became a partner of Lima Compost to spread this habit in Panamá. She has organized the 1st Compost Fest in Panama in Ciudad del Saber, pursuing the purpose to spread compost practice in the panamanian community
Vicente Fernandez
Research Technician
Vicente Vasquez is a research technician from Panama working at the Forest Carbon Lab under Dr. Helene Muller-Landau. He has a bachelor's degree in environmental studies from the University of the Ozarks and will soon begin his PhD at the University of Florida under Dr. Stephanie Bohlman. His work involves using drones to monitor tropical forest plots in Panama. He processes drone imagery and data using photogrammetry and AI to observe forest phenology like mortality, flowering, leafing and crown changes. Sensor types include RGB, LiDAR, multispectral, hyperspectral and spectrometers. Fieldwork includes dendrometer readings and censuses. His current research focuses on individually segmenting and tracking over 133 tree crown species weekly using drone imagery from a 50-hectare Barro Colorado Island plot. The goal is to identify phenological events in real-time for each species. He also aims to identify tree species across landscapes using only RGB imagery by combining ecological knowledge with GIS.
José Jimeno
Head of the Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Business Unit at Emmes
Dr. Jose Jimeno, PDG, PMP certified, is the Head of the Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Business Unit at Emmes. With over 17 years of experience in Latin America's vaccine clinical trials industry, he has held various positions in site, CRO, and sponsor roles. Dr. Jimeno is the founder of Vax Trials, an organization conducting epidemiological and vaccination studies for pediatric infections since 2006. Vax Trials expanded its operations and played an active role in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials from 2020 to 2023 before being acquired by Emmes. Prior to Vax Trials, Dr. Jimeno worked for Novartis Vaccines and managed a CRO in Central America and the Caribbean. He is driven by his passion for serving others and believes vaccines are a powerful tool to improve public health and decrease preventable diseases.
María García
Founder of the E-Sover team
María, a founder of the E-Sover team, is a second-year high school student at El  Colegio Agustiniano de Chitré and a founder of E-Sover. Her exceptional creativity and ability to  find innovative solutions have been crucial to the project's success. María brings a unique and  valuable perspective to every challenge the team faces. 
Ericka López
Young entrepreneur
Ericka is the youngest member of the group, a charismatic and unique young girl in  her approach to challenges. She always looks for the positive in every situation and shows  empathy towards those around her. Despite her young age, she is a founding member of E-Sover  and contributes her enthusiasm and energy to the team.
