IDEAS & LEADERSHIP
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IDEAS & LEADERSHIP •
The future we build together
The Leadership Luncheon is the Biennial of the Americas’ signature annual gathering, bringing together business, civic, and cultural leaders from across the Hemisphere. Through inspiring keynote speakers and meaningful conversations, the event fosters dialogue, strengthens connections, and celebrates innovative leadership shaping the future of the Americas.
The Americas are entering a defining moment, and our greatest advantage isn't just innovation, it's connection. This year's Luncheon explores how heritage, craft, and culture become engines of a more resilient, prosperous Americas.
The strongest economies are built on trust. The strongest societies are built on culture.
The strongest future is one we build together.
2026 Keynote Speaker
KEN Salazar
U.s. Senator, secretary of the Interior, and ambassador to Mexico
A fifth-generation Coloradan whose family has called the American Southwest home for more than four centuries, Salazar brings a rare vantage point to this year's theme, one shaped by deep ancestral roots and a career at the highest levels of U.S. and hemispheric diplomacy. He has served as a United States Senator, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico.
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In his new memoir, Borderlands: My Fight for an Inclusive America, Salazar makes the case that our past is not something to move beyond, but the very foundation we build from, arguing that the story of the Americas has always been one of shared land, shared history, and shared destiny. Drawing on that legacy, he envisions a New North American Alliance rooted in security, prosperity, and cultural exchange between the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
In his keynote, Salazar will reflect on how honoring where we come from, as families, as nations, as a hemisphere, is what makes it possible to build the future together. His remarks set the stage for the day's central question: how do we take the lessons of our shared past and turn them into the alliances, partnerships, and communities that will define what comes next?
This is a conversation about where the Americas have been and where they're headed next, and it happens live on October 22.
Borderlands in the Press
2026 Speakers
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Suro took over his family's Tlaquepaque ceramics workshop in the 1990s and turned it into a global creative laboratory. More than 600 artists have since passed through the factory, including Gabriel Orozco and John Baldessari, and he's built a private collection later exhibited at museums in Zapopan and Dallas. He's also credited with turning Guadalajara into an international arts hub, most recently co-founding Plataforma, a residency space for emerging talent.
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Rafaela Gontijo built NUU in her home kitchen. She is now on a mission to redesign how a food company grows, placing cassava, a native South American root, at the center of the business. Her thesis is simple: a company can grow at venture pace without breaking the land, the people, or the founder behind it. NUU is the test. If it works, NUU becomes a playbook for millions of consumer businesses that want to scale differently. Rafaela is also the mother of twin girls and deeply connected to nature and its mysteries. That connection has shaped one of the ideas at the heart of NUU: the origin is the destination. The closer we look at where food comes from, the soil, the ingredients, the people and the communities behind it, the clearer the path forward becomes. For decades, founders were told they had to choose: scale or sustainability, ambition or balance, performance or people. Rafaela believes that choice was false. NUU exists to prove it.NUU is building the next generation of food companies in Brazil. Its products are built on cassava, 80% of its ingredients are sourced within 40 km of its factory, and the brand is already present in 2,000 points of sale. The goal is to prove that a consumer company can scale fast while keeping manufacturing, supply chains and impact deeply connected.
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Miguel Braceli is an interdisciplinary artist working at the intersection of art, architecture, and social practices. His artistic practice centers on participatory projects in public spaces, exploring both geopolitical and local conflicts through large-scale works across Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States.
Braceli has presented performances, exhibitions, and educational projects in collaboration with renowned institutions such as MoMA Ps1, Documenta Fifteen, The Bronx Museum of Arts, Hemispheric Institute NY with MUAC-UNAM, Matadero Madrid, Museo Moderno de Buenos Aires, Athr Foundation, the Untitled Art Fair, and Pace Gallery. His work has been highlighted in influential journals and magazines, including e-flux Criticism, Forbes, and Art Review.
He has participated in esteemed residencies and programs, including MacDowell (2023), Fountainhead (2023), Skowhegan School of Painting (2022), Art Omi (2021), and McColl Center for Art (2020). Additionally, he was an AIM Bronx Museum Fellow (2022), Fine Arts Work Center Fellow (2024), and Monument Lab Fellow (2026).
Braceli’s recent recognitions include being a Fulbright Scholar (2019-2020), the Young Artist Award from the Principality of Asturias (2018), and the Tulsa Artist Fellowship Award (2024-2026). In 2021, he co-founded LA ESCUELA___ with Siemens Stiftung International. In 2022, he received a commission from the Percent for Art program to create a permanent large-scale public artwork in New York City.
About LA ESCUELA
LA ESCUELA___ is an artist-run, not-for-profit platform for collective making and learning operating across Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States. Founded by artist Miguel Braceli in collaboration with Siemens Stiftung, the organization approaches education as a situated artistic practice and art as a pedagogical process.
Since 2022, LA ESCUELA___ has developed free and open-access programs in partnership with universities, museums, and independent cultural spaces, fostering collaborative, place-based learning experiences that respond to social and ecological contexts. Through on-site Classrooms, online Laboratories, residencies, publications, and public programs, the platform builds a hemispheric network of artists, architects, educators, and communities.
To date, LA ESCUELA___ has realized more than 55 projects across 13 countries, collaborated with over 300 artists and thinkers, and engaged more than 6,000 participants. Its digital Library and editorial initiatives circulate research and pedagogical resources to an international readership of over 89,000 followers and 13,000 newsletter subscribers.
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Gloria Prioleau Neal is a journalist, voiceover artist, strategic advisor, public speaker, and community engagement leader with more than 35 years of experience at the intersection of media, public affairs, and public impact. Known for her commanding presence, sharp instincts, and authentic leadership, Gloria has built a reputation for navigating complex conversations with confidence, credibility, and purpose — across government, corporate, nonprofit, education, public safety, DEI, ESG, and social impact spaces.As Founder and CEO of GloKnows Unlimited Consulting, Gloria advises organizations, executives, elected officials, and institutions seeking to strengthen their visibility, stakeholder trust, and community engagement. A sought-after moderator, emcee, keynote speaker, and voiceover artist, she is recognized for her ability to connect diverse audiences, facilitate courageous conversations, and drive meaningful engagement that leads to action. Her approach is rooted in strategy, relationship-building, and an unwavering commitment to results.
A trusted civic and political voice in Colorado, Gloria co-chaired the Social Equity and Innovation Committee for Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and previously served as Director of Public Affairs under former Mayor Michael Hancock. She holds an appointment to the Denver African American Commission (DAAC) and serves on advisory boards for Huntington Bank and CiviCO. She is a board member of the American Red Cross — where she chairs the Sickle Cell Task Force — an advisor to the Rose Andom Center, and an honorary and former board member of Warren Village. She is also a graduate of the Corporate BoardBound Program for Women’s Leadership and the University of Colorado Boulder Leeds School of Business ESG Certification Program.
Before transitioning into consulting and public service, Gloria built a distinguished journalism career spanning Colorado and Georgia — anchoring at CBS46 WGCL in Atlanta, reporting at CBS4 KCNC in Denver, and lending her voice to major radio stations, publications including The Denver Post and Denver Magazine, and a wide range of voiceover work. Whether on stage, behind a microphone, or deep in the community, one mission drives everything she does.
GloKnows. Emcee. Voiceover. Empower. Engage. Impact.
2026 Artists
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Lilian Lara is a multidisciplinary Denver based Mexican artist working across fashion, textiles, sculpture, and installation. Rooted in rascuachismo, the philosophy of making the most from the least, her work transforms reclaimed materials into bold expressions of identity, resilience, and cultural pride.
Blending traditional Mexican craftsmanship with contemporary design, Lara creates immersive works that celebrate working-class creativity while inviting audiences to rethink value, beauty, and belonging.Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, Museo de las Americas, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver Fashion Week, and New York's Times Square.
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Leonard Jácome is a Venezuelan harpist, composer, producer, and educator internationally recognized for expanding the artistic possibilities of the Latin American harp through innovation, contemporary composition, and technology. He is the creator of the Venezuelan Electric Harp (ElectroLlanera 37), developed in collaboration with CAMAC Harps (France). His performances, masterclasses, and artistic residencies have taken him throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia, collaborating with leading universities, orchestras, festivals, and cultural institutions. Jácome holds a Master of Music in Musical Composition from Valencia International University (Spain) and a Bachelor of Music Education from Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador (Venezuela).
He currently serves as Affiliate Faculty in the Department of Music at Metropolitan State University of Denver, where he contributes to the development of the Latin American Harp curriculum within the Bachelor of Music in Mariachi Studies. His work seeks to connect tradition and innovation while promoting the global presence of Latin American music.
Discover Leonard’s Work
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Group Dot BR's mission is to bring the calor and diversity of Brazilian culture to the stage through avant-garde, physical, and contemporary theatre. As the only Brazilian theatre company in New York, they've told the stories of icons like Nelson Rodrigues, Vinicius de Moraes, and Clarice Lispector since 2011, earning nominations at the Brazilian International Press Awards and Innovative Theatre Awards along the way. Beyond productions, they keep Portuguese and Brazilian culture alive through workshops, dance parties, and intimate community events.
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Yugs is a Chilean-Jewish indie-alternative artist and producer based in Denver, blending indie rock guitars, Latin grooves, and dreamy synths into an introspective, danceable sound inspired by The Strokes, Mac DeMarco, and J Dilla. A staple of the local scene, he's opened for artists like Michael Seyer and headlined venues including Hi Dive and Lost Lake. A recent graduate of LAAMP under producers Stargate (Rihanna, Beyoncé), he also co-founded the group GIRLSTUPID. His latest album, Dancing In My Room (May 2026), traces healing, self-love, and identity after a seven-year relationship.
Special Appearance
PABLO KOBAYASHI & LUCIA AUMANN
INFLATABLE TARP INSTALLATION
Watch the
2025 Recap
Presenting Sponsor
With support from
Circle of the Americas Members
