Executives

Instituto Tecnológico y Estudios Superiores de Monterrey

Dr. David Garza

Dr. Garza has served as Tec´s Rector since 2017. He has been a professor and researcher in computer science and information technology, and has held leadership positions at Tec for more than 30 years. Dr. Garza has played an outstanding role heading innovation initiatives at the university, such as the implementation of a world-class educational model in Tec´s 26 campuses.

He is the author of multiple articles and has worked as a consultant on a variety of business projects. He is a past Chairman of the Global Engineering Deans Council and is a member of professional societies and organizations such as: ASEE, IEEE, ACM, Sigma Xi, and Phi Kappa Phi. Dr. Garza has served in conference committees and national and international councils in industry and academic organizations. He has been a speaker at international events in over 15 countries. A graduate of Tec, he holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Colorado State University. He lives in Monterrey with his wife Claudia and their four children.

Rice University

Reginald DesRoches

Reginald DesRoches is Rice University’s eighth president. He also serves as professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and professor of Mechanical Engineering. As president, DesRoches serves as the chief executive officer of the university and its more than 8,200 students, 900 plus faculty, seven academic schools, the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, and many interdisciplinary institutes and centers. He previously served as Rice’s Howard Hughes Provost and William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering. DesRoches’ primary research interests are in the design of resilient infrastructure systems under extreme loads and the application of smart materials. He has published approximately 300 articles and delivered more than 100 presentations in over 30 different countries. He also has mentored more than 30 doctoral students, many of whom hold faculty positions at top universities around the world.

A member of the National Academy of Engineering, DesRoches’ distinctive research record has been recognized for its impact and innovation. He is a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Structural Engineering Institute. He received the Distinguished Arnold Kerr Lecturer Award in 2019, the John A. Blume Distinguished Lecturer Award in 2018, and the 2018 Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Distinguished Lecturer Award, one of the highest honors in the field of earthquake engineering. DesRoches is a member of the Academy of Distinguished Alumni in Civil Engineering at Berkeley and an honorary alumnus of Georgia Tech.

Universidad de Monterrey

Mario Páez Gónzalez

Mario Páez Gónzalez is the President of Universidad de Monterrey. He joined Alfa, S.A.B. de C.V. in 1974. He began his career in Sigma Alimentos (a wholly owned subsidiary of Alfa) in 1997, where he served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. In 2002 he was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Sigma Alimentos. During his tenure as CEO, the company grew six times its size and expanded to 17 countries worldwide.

During his 45+ year career at Alfa, he held other executive positions such as Chief Financial Officer of Alfa and was CEO of Empaques de Cartón Titán and Total Home (Home Depot). Mr. Páez also served as Chairman of the Mexican Consumer Products Industry Council (ConMexico), Vice-Chairman of the Mexican National Agricultural Council (Consejo Nacional Agropecuario), and Vice-Chairman of the Mexican Meat Council (Consejo Mexicano de la Carne). He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Aquor (Leading Mexican Company dedicated to water services and related products), ALEN (Household cleaning products) and COSMOCEL (Innovation in agricultural specialties). He is actively involved as a board member of a trust that funds various charitable associations and is an active member of the Consulting Board for Economic Affairs of Arquidiócesis de Monterrey. Mr. Páez holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Accounting and an MBA from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. He also earned an MBA from Tulane University and attended the Top Management Executive Program at IPADE Business School.

Universidad de las Americas – Puebla

Cecilia Anaya Berríos Ph.D

Cecilia Anaya Berríos Ph.D. has a bachelor degree in Chemistry from Universidad Iberoamericana; a masters degree in Chemical Sciences from the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla and a doctoral degree in Science with focus on Organic Chemistry from the Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional.

She was a visiting scholar at the Technical University of Braunschweig, at the Institute for Organic Chemistry, and at the University of Pennsylvania, at the Chemistry Department. She is currently a Level II member of the National System of Researchers. She worked at Ciba Geigy in Mexico City. Later she joined the Universidad de las Américas, Puebla in Cholula, Puebla and has occupied different positions, such as Director of the Chemistry and Biology Department, Director of the Center for Chemical Biological Research, member of the Research Board of the Vice Presidency for Research and Graduate Studies, Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, and currently she is the Academic Vice President of the university. Throughout her professional career she has served in professional organizations occupying diverse positions, where the most relevant are the Presidency of the Chemistry Society of Mexico, and the Presidency of the Latinamerican Federation of Chemistry Associations. Currently, she is a regular member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry.

University of Miami

Dr. Julio Frenk

Dr. Frenk became the sixth president of the University of Miami in August of 2015. Prior to joining the University of Miami, he was the dean for nearly seven years of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the T & G Angelopoulos Professor of Public Health and International Development, a joint appointment with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Julio Frenk served as the Minister of Health of Mexico from 2000 to 2006. He was the founding director-general of the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico, and has served as executive director in charge of Evidence and Information for Policy at the World Health Organization and as senior fellow in the global health program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among other leadership positions.

Dr. Frenk holds a medical degree from the National University of Mexico, as well as a master of public health and a joint Ph.D. in Medical Care Organization and in Sociology from the University of Michigan. He has received honorary degrees from ten universities and has extended scholarly production. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Medicine of Mexico and he has received numerous recognitions, including the Clinton Global Citizen Award for changing the way practitioners and policy makers across the world think about health, the Bouchet Medal for Outstanding Leadership presented by Yale University for promoting diversity in graduate education, and the Welch-Rose Award for Distinguished Service from the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health. Julio Frenk was born in Mexico City in December 1953. He is married to Dr. Felicia Knaul, a social sector economist, and has four children.