UIW Welcomes Former President of Colombia

Iván Duque Márquez latest Honored Guest of the “Leaders of the Americas Speaker Series”

San Antonio – September 23, 2025 – On Thursday, October. 2, 2025, the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) will have the honor of hosting Iván Duque Márquez, the 34th President of Colombia, on the Broadway campus. Duque Márquez will be welcomed as the 2025 honored guest as part of the “Leaders of the Americas Speaker Series,” hosted by the Liza and Jack Lewis Center of the Americas.

Community members are invited to gather in the McCombs Center Rosenberg Sky Room at 6 p.m. to hear Duque Márquez speak on the promise of cross-border cooperation and humanistic leadership in the Americas. During his presidential term (August 7, 2018 – August 7, 2022), Duque Márquez led and supported his country through a variety of challenges and opportunities, making him an ideal speaker to share his unique perspectives.

“In our institutional Mission of training ethic leaders, being able to bring somebody to campus who can speak about their role in making ethical decisions and making life better for an entire country is unparalleled,” expressed Dr. Richard Pineda, director of the Lewis Center of Americas. “Colombia is a relatively young democracy, by global standards, and Duque Márquez was a relatively young president. Our community can gain valuable insights from someone who experienced conflict and challenge and rose to address those situations in order to better his country.”

Pineda shared that this speaker series was built around the value of exposing the community to ideas from leaders from across the Americas. During his presidency, Duque Márquez led when rising pressures related to migration in Latin America arose, a pressure that is still present to this day. The knowledge that he has gained through his experiences will help to shed light on how to better manage and approach cross-border cooperation.

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.

General Admission tickets to the event featuring Duque Márquez are $40 each.

Click here to learn more and to buy tickets now.

For more information, please contact the Director of the Liza and Jack Lewis Center of the Americas, Dr. Richard Pineda, by emailing Rdpineda@uiwtx.edu.