Cristina Narváez

Consultant

Organization of American States (OAS)

Technical Secretariat of the Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC)

Biography:

Cristina Narváez is a Consultant at the Organization of American States, planning and executing international programs to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and inclusive sustainable economic development. In her role, Ms. Narváez works collaboratively with numerous teams on the Americas Competitiveness Exchange (ACE) program and the Americas Competitiveness Forum. Previously, Ms. Narváez was a Visiting Scholar at The University of Iowa College of Law, where she conducted research regarding digital rights and corporate social responsibility. She worked at The Due Process of Law Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and Philippi, Prietocarrizosa, Ferrero, DU & Uría (Colombia) conducting legal research and providing legal advice on corporate social responsibility, technology transfer, and intellectual property management.

Ms. Narváez is an attorney specialized on commercial law from Los Andes University (Colombia) and she earned a Master of Laws Degree (LL.M.) in Intellectual Property Law from The George Washington University Law School. She has additional training on technology transfer and intellectual property management from the WIPO Academy Summer School (South Africa), and corporate social responsibility and sustainable development from The University for Peace-UN Mandated (Costa Rica). She is a guest lecturer in the International Diploma on Innovation of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (Chile). Ms. Narváez is a passionate advocate for corporate social responsibility, gender equality, and environmental conservation.

Nicole Griensewic

Executive Director

Region Nine Development Commission in Minnesota

Biografy:

Griensewic has served as Executive Director of Region Nine Development Commission since 2012. As executive director, Griensewic has made it a priority to foster collaboration and engagement by sharing Region Nine’s story both regionally and globally. Griensewic is an active board and committee member for multiple organizations throughout Minnesota. Griensewic is the immediate past President of the Greater Minnesota Partnership, and is the first female to chair the Executive Committee for the University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies, where she served as chair of the Governance Committee. Griensewic also served as secretary of Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota’s Governing Board of Directors and chaired the Governance Committee and currently serves as an advisory board member for South Central College’s Center for Agriculture. She serves on the executive committee for the MACS Board, Minnesotans for the American Community Survey Board of Directors and represents the Midwest on the National Assoc. of Development Orgs.’s (NADO) Board of Directors.

Griensewic is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and has completed course work through Harvard’s Kennedy School’s Executive Education. She received the 2017 Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Her professional background includes extensive private sector and non-profit leadership experience.