Sari Bermudez, Director of the National Council for the Arts (which is the equivalent in Mexico to a Minister of Culture). Ms. Bermudez is participating in the Panel regarding Cultural Policies.

Nick Shumway, Director of the Latin American Institute at the University of Texas in Austin. This Institute is recognized as the most important Center of Latin American Studies in the world, and includes the most important library on Mexico. Nick is a very knowledgeable person in the fields of Education and Culture.

Ramiro Osorio, from Colombia, is the Director of the Cervantino Festival in Guanajuato, Mexico. This festival is considered the most important in Mexico. Mr. Osorio will participate in the panel on Festivals.

José Arean, from Mexico, is the Director of the Mexico City Festival, which is the most important in Mexico City and second only to the Cervantino Festival. Mr. Arean will be participating in the Festivals panel.

Nestor García Canclini, from Argentina, is a leading Latin American specialist on Latin American Culture. He has published many books and articles on the subject.

Antonio Navalón, from Spain, is the Director of PRISA-MEXICO. PRISA is based in Spain and operates in all of Latin America. It is the largest conglomerate of book publishing houses in the Spanish language, and it owns hundreds of radio stations, newspapers, television, theatrical productions and movie productions.

Germán Dehesa, from Mexico, writer, author and journalist. He is an intellectual and a critic, considered one of the top media personalities in Mexico.

Pebbles Wadsworth, from the US, Director of the Performing Arts Center of the University of Texas, and Past-President of ISPA. She heads ArtesAmericas, a project developed together with fifty Universities and Cultural Centers of the US, with the purpose of touring and presenting Latin American Performing Arts throughout the United States.