Operating Committee

The Operating Committee for the Puentes Consortium consists of multiple representatives from each university partaking in the program.

Instituto Tecnológico y Estudios Superiores de Monterrey

Dra. Ana Elena Fierro

Director of International Development in the School of Social Sciences and Government of the Tecnologico de Monterrey. JSD del Instituto de investigaciones Jurídicas, UNAM. LLM University of Georgia, USA; Master’s in philosophy from the Universidad Anahuac, and graduated in Law from the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de México ITAM. She is a researcher in the National System of Researchers, SNI 1. She has been a professor of constitutional law, administrative law, and alternative dispute resolution for more than 20 years in institutions such as CIDE, ITAM, Marista University, University Anahuac. Her lines of research are transparency, accountability, civil services as well as alternative dispute resolutions (ADR). Her recent publications: The concept legal of surrender of accounts, first Edition, Tirant the Blanch, 2021, Conflict and ADR, second edition, CIDE and the book, Accountability of Public Servants, from punishment to the trust, published by the FCE. She is coauthor of the Manual on offenses and administrative offenses of corruption of servants and servant’s public and private, USAID, CIDE, RRC, 2020, Guide in terms of: Reparations for violations of rights human related to the integrity physics: Obligations International and practices jurisdictional, TFJA, Open Society justice Initiative, CIDE,2019. She was Dean of the master’s in public policy and public administration at CIDE from (2010-2021) Principal of Yucatan Congress in the LVI legislature (2001-2004). She worked as a technical secretary of the Federal Judicial Council (1995-2000)

Carlos Lugo

Lugo is the Director of the Latin American Chair of Citizenship of the School of Government and Public Transformation of the Tecnológico de Monterrey. He has a Law Degree from the Autonomous University of Sinaloa and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and Public Policies from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. He was Director of Citizen Leaders where his main goal was to promote the culture of legality. Carlos is a specialist in public policy and he does independent and objective research and consultancy with an impact on public policy focused on supporting the public and private sector to take better Decisions based on the best available information, the best data, the best methods and the most professional processes. He has worked with clients in public policy analysis, in their design, implementation and evaluation, in social impact of programs, anti-corruption policies, public water policies and strategies to build more effective policies using science of Behavior. He has collaborated with international organizations such as UN, CAF and TNC, among others. In addition, he directs the Public Water Policy initiative of the school of government. He is director of the Latin American chair of citizenship of Tec, aimed at building citizenship through the dissemination of successful public policy practices in Latin America. He has taught public policy workshops with the Mtra. Laura Chinchilla, former president of Costa Rica and Dr. Sergio Fajardo, former mayor of Medellín.

Rice University

Ryan Kirksey

Ryan Kirksey is the Senior Assistant to the President at Rice University where he assists President David Leebron on strategic matters related to the advancement and effectiveness of the university. He previously held roles as the Director of Operations and Finance at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and Manager of Operations at BKD, LLP. He has also served the university on committees ranging from management mentorship, parking, and event planning. Ryan earned his MBA in Organizational Management from Rice where he was awarded the Jones Citizen Award and the annual Gilbert Whitaker Scholarship. He serves on the board of Family Promise of Clear Creek.

Tony Payan

Tony Payan, Ph.D., is the Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies and director of the Center for the U.S. and Mexico at the Baker Institute. Between 2001 and 2015, Payan was a professor of political science at The University of Texas at El Paso. Payan’s research focuses primarily on border studies, particularly the U.S.-Mexico border. His work includes studies of border governance, border flows and immigration, as well as border security and organized crime. Payan has authored two books, “Cops, Soldiers and Diplomats: Understanding Agency Behavior in the War on Drugs” and “The Three U.S.-Mexico Border Wars: Drugs, Immigration and Homeland Security” (2006 and 2016 editions). He has also co-edited six volumes: “Gobernabilidad e Ingobernabilidad en la Región Paso del Norte,” “Human Rights Along the U.S.-Mexico Border: Gendered Violence and Insecurity,” “De Soldaderas a Activistas: La mujer chihuahuense en los albores del Siglo XXI,” “A War that Can’t Be Won: Binational Perspectives on the War on Drugs,” “Undecided Nation: Political Gridlock and the Immigration Crisis,” and “Reforma Energética y Estado de Derecho en México.” In addition, he has authored several book chapters and journal publications. Payan has served on several boards, including the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority in El Paso, Texas, and the Plan Estratégico de Juárez in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. He is a member of the Greater Houston Partnership’s Immigration Task Force and the Mexico Energy Task Force. He previously served as president of the Association of Borderlands Studies between 2009 and 2010. Payan earned a B.A. in philosophy and classical languages from the University of Dallas and an MBA from the University of Dallas Graduate School of Management. He received a doctorate degree in international relations from Georgetown University in 2001.

Universidad de Monterrey

Arturo Azuara Flores

Azuara Flores is a specialist in the fields of Corporate and Intellectual Property. His work experience consists of analysis, investigation, interpretation, coordination, design, planning, and execution of national and international law, and he has done this for the private, public, and academic sectors. Recent projects he has collaborated or consulted on include: “Proyecto de Ley sobre Discapacidad Intelectual, estudio comparativo de la Legislación Mexicana y la Española” in coordination with the Asociación Iberoamericana del Síndrome Down; “Proyecto Ley Anticorrupción para el Estado de Nuevo León”, in coordination with Confederación Patronal de la República Mexicana- N.L. (COPARMEX- N.L.); “Revisión del Proyecto de la Ley de Alcoholes del Estado de Nuevo León y la aplicación de su Reglamento”, in coordination with la Cámara Nacional de la Industria de Restaurantes y Alimentos Condimentados. Nuevo León (CANIRAC-N.L.); “Nueva Ley de Desarrollo Urbano del Estado de Nuevo León”, in coordination with la Cámara Nacional de la Industria de Desarrollo y Promoción de Vivienda en Nuevo León (CANADEVI-N.L.); entre otros. Dr. Azuara graduated with both a law degree as well as a Master’s degree in Administration from Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and a Doctorate degree in Comparative Law from Tulane in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Universidad de las Americas Puebla

Martin Alejandro Serrano Meneses Ph.D.

Dr. Serrano holds a PhD in Evolution and Mathematical Biology from the University of Bath and holds a degree in Biology with a specialty in Ecology from la Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP). In 2007, Dr. Serrano held a postdoctoral position at the Instituto de Ecología de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and currently holds the distinction of Level 2 within the SNI. Dr. Serrano’s principal research agenda focuses on evolutionary biology. Dr. Serrano has received funds from CONACYT, National Geographic Society, and the University of Bath, among others, for his research. In the area of teaching, Dr. Serrano has been a full-time professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala for six years and a senior lecturer at the University of Bath in 2005 and 2006. Since 2017, he has served as a full-time professor in the Department of Chemical-Biological Sciences at UDLAP. He currently holds the position of Dean of Research and Postgraduate Studies at UDLAP.

University of Miami

Ben C. Tortolani

Ben Tortolani is Director of Hemispheric and Global Affairs at the University of Miami, where his work is focused on expanding the university’s collaborations with institutions of higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to joining the University of Miami, Ben worked at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation, an international relations think tank and advisory group, and at the United Nations. Ben holds an undergraduate degree in English Literature and a Master in International Relations.