I am the Chief Advocacy Officer (CAO) in the Washington, DC office of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). In this role, I oversees ASA’s Advocacy Division which includes the Society’s Federal and State Legislative, Grassroots, and Political Affairs departments. I work in coordination with ASA’s Chief Quality and Payment Officer on issues related to economics and practice innovation, quality and quality reporting, and analytics and research services. I serve as ASA’s senior in-house lobbyist to the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. Together with my staff, I support the operations of ASA’s Political Action Committee, ASAPAC, the nation’s largest physician political action fund at over $4 million per election cycle. I am an at-large member of the Hispanic Lobbyists Association and I am active in the Medical Specialty Heads of Government Relations Forum. I have over two decades of experience in health care legislation and politics. I began my career in Washington, D.C., as a U.S. Senate health care legislative aide. Following my time on Capitol Hill, I worked as a congressional lobbyist for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. I am a graduate of Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, and received my Master of Science in health care management from Marymount University, Arlington, Virginia.

María Luisa Boyce is Vice President of International Policy for Global Public Affairs, bringing more than 25 years of experience and leadership in international trade, customs affairs and cross-border trade. In her current role, she is part of the team working on Capitol Hill, Washington D.C., United States, advocating for UPS’ priorities, she leads UPS’s government affairs efforts in Latin America, advocates for global policy impacting UPS’s Small Business Enterprise (SMEs) customers and leads for the Global Public Affairs team the UPS Women Exporters Program. As a policy leader, Maria Luisa participates in different roles, including as Co-Chair of the Trade Facilitation Committee of the American Business Dialogue, representing UPS at the Alliance for eTrade Development, member of the International Trade Advisory Committee (ITAC)13 of Customs Matters and Trade Facilitation, and Chair of the International Trade and Security Policy Committee with the American Trucking Association, among others. In her professional career, Maria Luisa has held different positions and functions in both the private and public sectors of the United States, to include U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Border Trade Alliance. She has worked in regional committees, and partner with multilateral organizations. This has allowed her to have a solid knowledge of cross-border trade, understanding of logistics and the challenges faced by SMEs around the globe. Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, María Luisa holds a Bachelor's Degree in Finance and International Relations from Universidad Externado de Colombia and has a Certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government for Strategic Management for Regulatory and Compliance Agencies.

Carlos Becerra represents the university's interests before Congress, advances our research agenda with federal agencies, and manages our presence in the nation's capital. A proud FIU alumnus, Carlos brings over 25 years of experience advancing public education in urban cities and leveraging relationships to achieve intergovernmental collaboration in the public sector.

Elizabeth Yepes is the Senior Director of Global Regulatory Affairs for the International Council of Beverages Associations (ICBA). In this role, Ms. Yepes promotes evidence-based positions before governments and regulatory agencies to ensure a fair playing field for beverages around the globe. Ms. Yepes also develops positions on key regulatory issues of priority interest to the global beverage industry and works with ICBA regional and national beverage associations to facilitate harmonization and message alignment. Prior to ICBA, Ms. Yepes worked in the U.S. Department of Agriculture addressing trade barriers on U.S. exports of processed products, including non-alcoholic beverages, as well as providing technical assistance to the 50 U.S. States and territories on integrity issues with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Elizabeth received both her Bachelor and Master’s degrees in International Affairs from the George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs.

My commitment to global change began with my parents’ journey from Mexico and El Salvador, leaving behind instability to build a life in the U.S. This background drives my work to bridge the local and global. I began in the U.S. House of Representatives under Congressman Jim Cooper, where I managed constituent communications on pressing issues like immigration, climate, and national security, simplifying complex topics for public understanding. I also led Hispanic media outreach, including communication on the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan, connecting directly with Spanish-speaking communities. Today, as the Grassroots Advocacy Manager at the UN Foundation’s UNA-USA, I empower Americans to support full UN funding, leading campaigns for Human Rights Day, the Ukraine crisis, and more. Through strategic advocacy like petitions and congressional toolkits, I mobilize citizens to make their voices heard. I also organize Capitol Hill Lobby Day, facilitating meetings with Congress to strengthen U.S. engagement with the UN and global priorities. My work reinforces that American voices matter on the global stage, and that foreign policy belongs in every household conversation.

Corina Scheuren is the Government Relations Manager at Marsh McLennan, a global leader in risk, strategy and people. In this role, she supports the company’s regulatory and legislative priorities at various levels of government. In addition, she works across the business to provide strategic guidance and monitoring solutions. She started working at the company as an intern in 2017 and shifted to full time in 2019. Corina is a first-generation Venezuelan American and graduated from the George Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs in 2019 and a Master of Arts in Security Policy Studies in 2022.

Norberto Salinas is a partner and co-chair of the Judiciary practice at Capitol Counsel. He brings over 15 years of public and private sector experience, a valuable policy insight with a political perspective, and deep relationships with the House Democratic Caucus, especially within the House Leadership, Tri-Caucus, and Judiciary Committees. His prior policy and business experience includes launching his own successful multiclient lobby firm, managing Intel Corporation’s global workforce public policy, and serving on the House Committee on the Judiciary as Senior Counsel handling intellectual property, state taxation, sports law, arbitration, interstate compacts, and technology and telecom-related policy portfolios.

Emely Sanchez, JD, MPH, is a government affairs professional with a background in public health law and policy. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, she earned her undergraduate degrees in political science and criminal justice from Florida International University. She then pursued a Master of Public Health and Juris Doctor at the University of Miami, focusing her work on health policy and leadership. She is dedicated to expanding her expertise through scholarship, mentorship, and community engagement. She serves as the Hispanic National Bar Association’s Health & Life Sciences Section’s VP for Policy. She currently works as a federal affairs manager at Johnson & Johnson, where she advocates for improvements in healthcare services, health equity, and access to medicine.

Mark Williams is a Principal at Ferox Strategies, where he leverages his nearly two decades of Capitol Hill experience to navigate complex policy landscapes. Known for his high-energy approach, Mark has become a go-to strategist for clients across various sectors, including tax and trade policy, healthcare and national security. His career highlights include serving as Chief of Staff to Congressman Mike Conaway, where he was instrumental in the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill and supported the Intelligence Committee's investigation into Russia's 2016 election influence. Mark's expertise spans multiple members and committees, showcasing his broad policy knowledge. Beyond his professional life, Mark is deeply committed to community service, coaching youth soccer, and supporting organizations like the U.S. Soccer Foundation. His leadership extends to fostering future conservative Hispanic leaders through roles in the Hispanic Leadership Trust and the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute. A proud Texan, Mark's personal achievements include completing five Ironman triathlons while also raising significant funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, reflecting his endurance and commitment to causes beyond politics.

Pedro Montenegro serves as the Manager of Government Relations at Breakthrough T1D. Prior to his time at Breakthrough T1D, Pedro has previously served in various government relations roles at the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association and the National Hispanic Medical Association and has experience in health policy, minority health, community outreach and is a fluent Spanish speaker. Pedro earned his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Public Policy/Global Studies from the University of California, Riverside.

Carla Pierre Rynerson is a director in Raben's Government Affairs practice, where she brings years of experience in advocacy, running issue campaigns, and coalition building to help her clients advance their policy priorities. At Raben, Carla advises Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit organizations on a variety of issues, including telecommunications, workforce development, education, among others. Carla also serves as director of government affairs for Friends of the American Latino Museum, a nonprofit organization focused on the creation of a National Museum of the American Latino on the National Mall. She has played an instrumental role in the passage of the National Museum of the American Latino Act in 2020 and continues to lead the efforts to ensure the museum is built on the National Mall, among the other iconic museums telling our nation’s story. Carla previously worked at the lobbying firm Capitol Counsel, where she supported legislative affairs for a range of clients. Before that, she worked as a field organizer for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, where she helped achieve a 5.5 percent increase in Democratic voter turnout. As a junior in college, Carla interned for Congressman Juan Vargas (D-Calif.), and it was during this time that she made the decision to move to Washington, D.C., to work on policy. Carla earned her bachelor’s degree in International Studies from the University of California, Irvine. Carla was born in Mexico and came to the United States at the age of 13.

Raised in my younger adolescent years in the Concrete Jungle known as New York City, my heritage stemmed from my Abuelito migrating from Mexico City to the U.S. to be a small business owner in Arizona (where my mother is from). Both my parents being of Mexican American descent (Dad being raised in the Valley of Laredo, Texas) I learned more about my identity as I grew up in a melting pot of different cultures and values of others and also grew into my own path and realizing politics was going to be my passion down the road as my late father had chosen. Graduating from Arizona State University with a Poly-Sci major, I became lucky enough that I worked my way through the Arizona Legislator as a Bill Clerk having being exposed to the good and not always good instances where bipartisanship prevailed. Ambitious with my next pursuit I obtained a Masters at George Washington University in Political Management (Campaigns and Political Advocacy) where the 2016 elections was the case study which we all know may have been one of the most bizarre if not interesting elections we have had. Working my way through my Masters I had the chance to end up in Congressional offices with former Congressman Luis Gutierrez, Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies, and former Congressman Andy Levin which led me to my government affairs position now which is based out of the Twin Cities of Minnesota.