Fundación Smithsonian

Mirei Endara de Heras also chairs the board of Marea Verde, a Panama nonprofit addressing global plastic pollution through local action.  She has served in the Panamanian government twice, as Minister of Environment (2014-2017) and as Administrator of the Panama Environmental Authority (1994-1999). Mirei is a Fellow of the inaugural class (2005) of the Aspen Institute’s Central America Leadership Initiative and a McNulty Prize 2023 winner. She is a member of Audubon Americas Advisory Committee, Biomuseo, the International Women’s Forum Panama and Women’s Corporate Directors-Panama.

Anna Lisa Simons de Porras served as executive director of Fundación Smithsonian from 2000 to 2008. During her term she directed fundraising activities, including one of the Fundación’s contributions to science education: STRI’s Punta Culebra Education Program, where children learn about marine conservation through scientific discovery and exploration.

In the NGO sector Mrs. Porras serves on the board of the Asociación Pro Niñez Panameña, and is an active member in the Panamanian Asociation or the Order of Malta and of The Caravana de Asistencia Social .

In the private sector Mrs. Porras, although retired, is still involved in real estate and business related to her family, which includes Hopsa, a Panamanian company serving the construction and industry sector.

In sports Mrs. Porras participates in Dragon Boat Paddle competitions as a member of the Dragon Heart Team Panama; as a breast cancer survivor team we participated in the World Dragon Boast Club Competition in Ravena, Italy in 2024.

Estefanía Alemán is the CEO of Icaza Trust Corporation, Panama’s leading independent trust company, where she has driven significant growth, doubling revenue and increasing trust assets to over $7 billion. She is also a partner at Icaza, González-Ruiz & Alemán, where she has modernized business and compliance management. Holding a Juris Doctor from American University and a degree in Literature from the University of Virginia, Estefanía is a recognized leader in the trust and legal industries, known for her expertise in structuring and overseeing complex financial and trust transactions.

Received a BS in Business Administration- International Business, Magna Cum Laude, from Georgetown University´s McDonough School of Business. She served as director and editor of Banco General´s En Exclusiva magazine for nearly three decades. Former President and current member of the Board of Fundación Smithsonian and the Georgetown Club of Panama. Member of the Board of Directors of BioMuseo, Georgetown´s LALP (Latin American Leadership Program) Committee, International Women’s Forum-Panama (IWFP), Women’s Corporate Directors - Panamá (WCD) and Navega. Gladys was founder and President of Panameñas por el SI (a group of women in national campaign in favor of the Panama Canal expansion). She received the Volunteer of the Year Award from the Georgetown University Alumni Association.

As CEO of arango+, Gustavo leads a regional architectural practice specializing in unique projects for novel real estate markets. An avid investor and co-developer in residential, commercial, and hospitality developments, he also chairs agricultural and energy companies. Prior to founding arango+, Gustavo worked at Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC, New York, and earned a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Arkansas. Gustavo is an active member of (Young President´s Organization), EO (Entrepreneur Organization), the AIA (American Institute of Architects), the USGB (United States Green Building Council.

Iván Cohen Solís is a prominent Panamanian entrepreneur with over 35 years of experience in the commercial sector. He is a co-founder of Ace International Hardware, Corp. (Do it Center), a family business with more than 1,500 employees and 30 stores nationwide. Iván has held key roles within the organization and is also the Secretary of the Board of Directors of Fondos Consolidados, S.A., Westinghouse Lighting Latin America, and Los Castillos Real Estate, Inc. Iván holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of San Diego, California. He later pursued executive studies in Business Administration at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Columbia University, New York.

Currently, Iván is the President of the Panama Center for Conciliation and Arbitration and an active member of the Young Presidents' Organization, Panama Chapter.

Joseph Fidanque III is an entrepreneur focused mostly on the service and telecommunication industry. He is the chairman and founder of Iterum, a BPO/call center outsourcer, with operations in Panama, Jamaica and Colombia, servicing companies in the United States.
He is also involved developing commercial real estate in Panama and acts on the boards of several other major local companies. He dedicated 3 years of his life to serve his country, managing the International Airport of Panama. He also served as Chairman of the Superintendence of Banking, the banking regulator in Panama, for an eight-year period. He holds a BS in economics from Tufts University, Massachusetts.

Juan Raul Humbert co-founded Palo Verde Holdings, an affordable housing developer with operations in Panama since 2015. He also co-founded Integra Schools, a PK-12 owner/operator with 11 schools in Panama. He serves on the Boards of Promarina and Amicus Properties. He received his BBA at University of Notre Dame and his MBA from Columbia Business School.

As President and CEO of Centauri Technologies and Director CFO of Cylerian, Julio holds vast IT expertise. He held the position of Secretary of Science, Technology and Innovation of Panama, the only one to date as Cabinet Minister. In the US, he managed BBN's Advanced Internet Research Group. He's been in the Editorial Board of the IEEE Networks Magazine and the Journal of Fiber and Integrated Optics and served on the IEEE Internet Awards Committee. He’s been a panelist and working group participant for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and a reviewer and member of the 1998 Committee of Visitors for Computer Networking at the National Science Foundation. He sits on numerous Panamanian boards including the City of Knowledge, the Biomuseum and the Foundation for Excellence in Education. He holds a Ph.D. from MIT in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Liza Henriquez is the President of Grupo Hentol. She joined Franquicias Panamenas SA in 1995, a subsidiary of Grupo Hentol operating 82 restaurants in Panama. Serving as CEO from 1998 to 2015, she is currently Chairman of the Board. Liza also has regional responsibilities with the YUM Franchisee Association, serving as President for a year and Treasurer for 10 years. She's been involved in various councils and boards, including the Regional Marketing and Advertising Council for 15 years and the Franchisee Advisory board. Liza is a member of YPO, Asociacion Directoras de Panama, and serves on the Board of the Biomuseo. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 1986 and completed an INCAE EMBA in 1999.

Marie del Bono currently sits on the Board of PKB (Panama) and several not-for-profit boards including STRI and the Biomuseo. Formerly, she was a V.P. of oil and gas at Bankers Trust Company in NYC and V.P. for Brazil in private banking. In 1986, Marie co-founded Educational Consultants International, sparking her enduring commitment to education, health, and environmental issues as drivers of social development. Marie was instrumental in establishing Teach for Panama . She  is a member  of the Sovereign Order of Malta association in Panama involved in local humanitarian projects . In Milan Marie  is  a member of FAI ( fondo ambientar italiano) and a member of  the  advancement committee .  She studied in England France and the usa . Maríe holds a BA  degree from Wellesley College .

Nicolas Psychoyos is the Director of the Board of Rey Holding and President of Inmobiliaria Don Antonio, a company that operates a chain of supermarkets in Panama. Through its subsidiaries, Rey Holdings is involved in agriculture, food processing and forestry industries. Mr. Psychoyos has served as director of Towerbank International, a private bank based in Panama, and Empresas Tagaropulos, a Panama-based holding company engaged in consumer goods. He has also served in the Amador Foundation, Association of Suppliers and Distributors of Consumable Goods, National Council of Private Enterprise, and National Council of Foreign Relations. Mr. Psychoyos received an undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University and conducted further studies at MIT and Harvard Business School.

Pedro Heilbron is CEO of Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE: CPA), parent company of Copa Airlines and Wingo. Copa operates the region’s leading Hub of the Americas® in Panama and, with Wingo, serves over 80 destinations in the Americas. He is a past president and current member of the Executive Committee of the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA), member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Chair Committee and Board of Governors, and member of the Executive Committee of Star Alliance. He received a BA in economics from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and an MBA from The George Washington University.