2023 Leaders of the Americas Speaker Series, featuring Nobel Laureate Dr. Rigoberta Menchú Tum
2022 Leaders of the Americas Speaker Series, featuring Mr. Vicente Fox, 62nd President of Mexico
2024 Conversations with Ambassador Creagan, with special guest Commissioner Tommy Calvert
2023 Panel discussion with World Affairs Council, Strengthening Bonds with Colombia
The Liza and Jack Lewis Center of the Americas was established to promote better relations and understanding among the people and nations of the United States, Mexico, Canada, Central and South America through cooperative study, research, service and dialogue. The Lewis Center is designed to serve as a central resource for information and analysis on critical issues of common concern, bringing people together to exchange views, build expertise, expand business opportunities and develop policy options.
The Lewis Center of the Americas, in collaboration with the UIW Political Science Department, hosted Conversations with Ambassador Creagan, with special guest Commissioner Tommy Calvert.
Evening reception on Oct. 4, 2023 to honor Nobel Laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum, with a presentation by Dr. Menchú Tum and a special introduction by Afro-Indigenous storyteller, culture writer, literacy editor, and Emmy-award-winner Sandra Guzmán.
The State of U.S.-Mexico Diplomatic Relations "The State of U.S.-Mexico Diplomatic Relations on Their 200th Official Anniversary" with special guest Dr. Rubén Minutti Zanatta
Dr. David Vequist, Director of UIW’s Center for Medical Tourism Research, will be a plenary speaker. UIW faculty, staff, and students can register at no cost.
The conversation will take place at the Seddon Recital Hall, Luella Bennack Music Building.
A fundamental resource for the Lewis Center is the network of UIW faculty members, across the entire UIW system, whose perspectives have been shaped by formative cross-border experiences in the Americas.
Under the direction of Dr. Rafael Hoyle, the Lewis Center forms part of UIW's Division of International Affairs, led by Mr. Marcos Fragoso. The leadership team also includes Dr. James Creagan, UIW's Ambassador in Residence, and Dr. David Vequist, founder and director of UIW's Center for Medical Tourism Research, which now operates under the auspices of the Lewis Center.
Mr. Marcos Fragoso was the rector of the Centro Universitario Incarnate Word in his native Mexico City from 2004 to 2010. He was named UIW’s vice president for International Affairs in June of 2010 and has lived in San Antonio since that time. Mr. Fragoso is responsible for all the international initiatives and affairs for the University including sister school and exchange agreements, study abroad programs, faculty-led trips, UIW Global On-Line programs, and the Liza and Jack Lewis Center of the Americas. Furthermore, he oversees the UIW Mexico campuses in Mexico City and Irapuato, and the UIW European Study Center in Strasbourg, having played an instrumental role in their creation and launch. Prior to joining the University, Mr. Fragoso worked for four years with an educational group overseeing 12 different K-12 schools and universities in Mexico. He has a Master of Business Administration in International Business and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of the Incarnate Word.
Rafael Hoyle joined the University in July 2019 and became the director of the Liza and Jack Lewis Center of the Americas in June 2021. Dr. Hoyle currently sits on the Board of Directors for UIW’s Mexico campuses and served previously as UIW’s Associate Vice-President for Planning and Campus Management. Prior to joining UIW, he was the managing director of International Studies Abroad, one of the largest providers of study abroad programs for U.S. students, known for its strong offering of programs in Latin America. Dr. Hoyle’s experience in higher education also includes six years as an instructor of Spanish at the University of Arizona and the University of Texas, and most recently he taught Multicultural Education at the University of Virginia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Spanish from the University of Arizona, and a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a native Spanish speaker and feels a strong connection to the city of San Antonio, due in no small part to his northern Mexican heritage.
Serving under nine U.S. presidents, Dr. Creagan led a diplomatic career spanning three decades. He retired from the Foreign Service in 1999 and became president of John Cabot University in Rome, Italy. In 2005, he was named President Emeritus. He was also a Guest Scholar at the University of Notre Dame’s Kellogg Institute in 2005. In 2006, he joined the University of the Incarnate Word as Professor and Ambassador in Residence, and in 2022 he returns in that same capacity, this time also as a Fellow at the Liza and Jack Lewis Center of the Americas. His awards throughout his career include 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. Currently, he is a member of the Cosmos Club of Washington, D.C., the Board of the San Antonio World Affairs Council, the Latin American Advisory Council of the University of Notre Dame, the board of the Texas Water Mission, the Advisory Council of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, and the board of the San Antonio Council for International Visitors. He also works with the Fulbright Association of San Antonio. Ambassador Creagan graduated from the University of Notre Dame and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. He speaks Spanish, Portuguese and Italian.
Dr. David George Vequist IV is a professor of management in the H-E-B School of Business & Administration and the founder/director of the UIW Center for Medical Tourism Research, part of the Liza and Jack Lewis Center of the Americas. He is also a managing editor for the Journal of Health Care Management Standards. Before joining UIW, Dr. Vequist was an executive for Methodist Healthcare and consulted for Ernst & Young. Dr. Vequist is an accomplished speaker, author and researcher and has been interviewed and featured in numerous media on five continents. His focus on international healthcare has exposed him to diverse perspectives on health and wellness and shaped his approach in the classroom and the content of his courses. In Latin America, Dr. Vequist has presented at conferences in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Guatemala and Panama. His cross-border experience has translated into a broader worldview and appreciation of how globalization has impacted health systems over the last few decades.
The Lewis Center Interviews focus on colleagues who through their work are strengthening and expanding international relations in the Americas.
Dr. Leticia Vargas of the UIW School of Osteopathic Medicine tells us about her work in the classroom, her medical practice, and her dedicated community service, particularly through her years of involvement with the Quijotes of San Antonio, a medical mission group that for years has been a strong partner of UIW to help provide medical care to the people of Oaxaca. Furthermore, she tells us about her wonderful experiences and also the challenges she has faced on her path to achieving her academic and professional goals.
This section features and lists publications, written by UIW faculty, that focus on an international topic within the Americas.
In this section, we shed light on missions, research, faculty exchange and study abroad programs that take members of the UIW community across national borders in the Americas.
Sr. Martha Ann Kirk, Professor of Religious Studies, and Dr. Beth Sunne-Duff, Associate Professor of Nutrition, will be leading a service mission program to Guatemala City and surrounding areas.
Dr. Erlinda López-Rodríguez led a group of students and faculty from UIW health professions schools on a service mission trip to Oaxaca, Mexico.
Dr. Rachel Pittman, Dr. Arunabh Bhattacharya, and Dr. Leticia Vargas led a medical mission program to Antigua, Guatemala, and surrounding areas.
Detailed architectural planning for the Lewis Center headquarters at Founders Hall is underway. Completion of the renovation is targeted for the summer of 2025. The images below are two of the renderings by Lake Flato Architects.
UIW has over 35 sister school agreements with universities in the Americas. These relationships facilitate the exchange of visiting scholars, study abroad, collaborative research and cross-border service learning, in order to promote a more global perspective at UIW and our valued partner institutions. For more information about agreements in each country, please use the buttons below:
The Lewis Center of the Americas collaborates with local and international strategic partners who share a belief that greater possibilities can be realized when we reach across borders to develop alliances and broaden our perspective.
