President & CEO Column
As we conclude the second quarter of 2025 and look towards the summer, I want to extend my gratitude to each of you for your continued support of the Institute of the Americas. Your partnership has enabled us to expand our impact during a momentous period across the Americas, with growing tariff-related economic uncertainties stymying new investment in the region.
Over the past quarter, our team has made significant strides. Through IOA’s energy program, we convened our 6th annual Madrid Energy Conference on May 6-8; organized a roundtable in Mexico City focused on the future of Mexico’s electrical and natural gas sectors on June 5h. IOA also brought together a group of 37 journalists for a Guyana energy literacy workshop in late June.
Through our Environment & Climate Change Program, we organized our 3rd annual Un Día por Los Mares event in Mexico City on June 11th in partnership with UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, with a focus on ocean conservation and marine prosperity areas across Mexico and Latin America. IOA also convened its 2nd binational forum on sustainable maritime transport and ports on June 26-27 in Ensenada, Baja California, in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund-Mexico, CAMEITRAM and the Global Maritime Forum, which was attended by over 110 attendees, including representatives from 16 Mexican ports as well as the ports of San Diego, Long Beach and Seattle.
Also in late June, IOA hosted, together with the UC San Diego School of Global Policy & Strategy, the 2025 North American Forum attended by 60 thought leaders from the United States, Mexico and Canada. The official NAF meeting was followed by a public forum on June 26th in La Jolla that highlighted the importance of USMCA renewal and expanded trinational cooperation towards expanded North American regional security.
Over the past quarter, IOA has also had people on the move. Nelly Molina, a member of IOA’s board of directors and Co-Chair of IOA’s Investment & Finance Committee since 2021, recently concluded her service as a board member and has moved on to serve as the new CEO of Mexico Pacific. Tania Miranda, who had been IOA’s Environment & Climate Change program director for four years, also recently left the Institute to become a program officer at the ClimateWorks Foundation, where she will continue to follow her passion for sustainable maritime shipping and ports and the protection of the ocean. IOA is now actively working on the recruitment of our next leader of the EC2 program. We are truly appreciative of all that Nelly and Tania have contributed to the IOA to help further our mission.
At the Institute, we remain steadfast in our mission: to foster sound public policy and strengthen cooperation across the Americas. In the face of new political and economic uncertainties, our work to promote dialogue, research, and actionable solutions is more vital than ever.
Thank you for believing in the power of regional Inter-American collaboration. We look forward to continuing this journey with you in the months and years ahead.
Sincerely,
Richard Kiy
President & CEO
Institute of the Americas