The U.S. – Mexico Bilateral Relationship: North Americas as a Region, featuring Ambassador Gerónimo Gutiérrez Fernández

Ambassador Gerónimo Gutiérrez Fernández

Covington & Burling LLP

Ambassador Gerónimo Gutiérrez Fernández is a Managing Partner at BEEL Infrastructure in Mexico City and a Senior Advisor at Covington and Burling LLP in Washington D.C., focusing on political and regulatory risk. He has over 20 years of experience in senior government positions, including as Mexico's Ambassador to the United States from 2017 to 2018, where he played a key role in the negotiating the USMCA. He previously served as Under Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, where he improved relations with Cuba and Venezuela and led the creation of Proyecto Mesoamerica. Mr. Gutiérrez also held positions as Under Secretary for North America, Managing Director of the North American Development Bank, and Deputy Secretary for Governance and Homeland Security.

Romanita Matta-Barrera

Chief Business Advancement Officer, greater:SATX

Romanita Matta Barrera is the Chief Workforce Officer at greater:SATX, where she aligns education, workforce, and economic development to meet San Antonio's talent needs. She leads the SA Works team, focusing on youth work-based learning programs, equitable education access, and talent development for economic mobility. Her career includes roles as Deputy Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans and Director of Hispanic Outreach at the U.S. Department of Education. Before joining greater:SATX, she was president and CEO of Fluent Strategy Group, working with clients like H-E-B and AARP on strategic initiatives.

Jorge Canavati

Principal, J. Canavati & Co. LLC

Jorge Canavati is the principal at J. Canavati & Co. LLC, an international logistics and trade consulting firm. Mr. Canavati brings over 35 years of expertise in international trade, multimodal transportation, air cargo, and logistics, with a focus on NAFTA-related issues. He has served as the past chair of Global Chamber San Antonio and is currently an executive vice president and board member of the National Importers and Exporters Association of Mexico (ANIERM).

Additionally, Mr. Canavati was recently appointed by Mayor Nirenberg to the Airport System Development Committee to address the San Antonio's future aviation needs. Mr. Canavati lectures at various universities and participates on various high-level panels per year at international trade events.

Ambassador James Creagan

Fellow and Ambassador in Residence, Lewis Center of the Americas, UIW Moderator

Dr. James Creagan had a notable career as a U.S. diplomat, serving under nine presidents over three decades before retiring in 1999. He then led John Cabot University in Rome as president and was later honored as President Emeritus in 2005. Afterward, he was a Guest Scholar at Notre Dame's Kellogg Institute in 2005, and joined the University of the Incarnate Word in 2006 as Professor and Ambassador in Residence. In 2022, he returned to the University of the Incarnate Word as a Fellow at the Liza and Jack Lewis Center of the Americas. His awards during his career include numerous international honors like Honorary Citizen of Honduras, Boston Archdiocese's Caritas Christi Award for Humanitarian Service, Cavalier of the Order of St. Gregory from the Holy See and the Italian Order of Merit, Commendatore, along with numerous U.S. government awards.