Cuba Foundation

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We are inspired by and operate at the

Cuba: Like many people, including those who are not of Cuban descent, and despite our diverse upbringings and socio-political beliefs, we have for many years maintained an interest in all things Cuban: history, art, culture, sports, cuisine, music and current affairs to name a few.  We wish to convert that interest into constructive activities focused on helping the Cuban people.  Our aim is to help create conditions that will allow all Cubans to enjoy better lives for their benefit as well as the benefit of their families, communities and nation.

Philanthropy: What separates charity from philanthropy is that the latter is strategic in nature and the intended impact is long-term.  We are in a position to contribute our funds, talents and time and to encourage others to do the same, with the ultimate goal of helping the Cuban people.  Some of us (founders and donors) have had long careers, while others are just getting started, but we all feel a profound desire to “give back” or “give forward” to meet our individual philanthropic objectives.  The Cuba Foundation empowers us to do this.  

Sustainable Development and Impact: Our resources are not unlimited, so we want to deploy them in ways that will have the most effective and efficient impact.  By pooling those resources with those of like-minded persons, and by working with experts to manage them with or for us, we ensure development effectiveness.  The Cuba Foundation follows principles used by development organizations that design or fund projects that not only promote economic growth, but growth that is sustainable financially and environmentally.

how we work

Meet Our Directors
and Team Leaders

Our Directors and Team Leaders share a common vision and work together to ensure the success of the Cuba Foundation.

Gustavo Arnavat

Executive Chairman and Founder

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José de Lasa

Director and Founder

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José Ibietatorremendía

Director of Strategy

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Meet Our Board of Advisors

Our Board of Advisers is composed of volunteers who are recognized subject matter experts on Cuba, philanthropy and sustainable development and impact. Their countries of origin and citizenship speak to their global perspective: Cuba, the United States, Spain, India, Turkey, Jamaica and Uruguay.

Aldo Alvarez

Cuban Entrepreneur, attorney  and consultant

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Diana Campoamor

Former President Hispanics in Philanthropy

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Enrique Iglesias

Former President of the Inter-American Development Bank

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Gerry Johnson

Former General Manager for the Caribbean at the  Inter-American Development Bank

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Hasan Tuluy

Former Vice President for Latin America and The Caribbean, World Bank

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Javier Soto

President of the Denver Foundation, Former Chairman of the Council on Foundations

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Mauro Guillen

William H. Wurster Professor of Multinational Management and Vice Dean, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania

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Marta Deus

Cuban Entrepreneur; CEO of Mandao and Negolution

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Marta Tellado

CEO, Consumer Reports; Former Vice President, Ford Foundation

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Mukul Pandya

Associate Fellow, Saïd Business School at Oxford University; Founder and Former Editor-in-Chief of Knowledge@Wharton

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William LeoGrande

Professor of Government and former Dean of the  School of Public Affairs at American University

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Make a Difference Today!

The Cuba Foundation is a New York State not-for-profit corporation dedicated to fostering sustainable development initiatives that directly help the Cuban people. Our mission is powered by your generosity. We are a fiscally sponsored project of Give2Cuba, a Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that raises funds in the United States, provides humanitarian and other assistance to Cuba, and supports philanthropic groups, such as us, with important administrative services. Donors who wish to fund the work of the Cuba Foundation do so by donating to Give2Cuba through the donation box on this page. As required by law, Give2Cuba shall provide donors with a record of their contributions. Such donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent permitted by law. Join our journey. Your dotations matter.

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Gustavo Arnavat

Gustavo Arnavat served under President Obama as the 15th United States Executive Director of the Inter-American Development Bank, where he oversaw the deployment of over $50 Billion in development finance to 26 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. It was at the IDB that he developed a strong commitment to sustainable development and impact investing. He has over 30 years of investment banking, legal, economic development and national security experience focused throughout the Americas. A native of Havana, he resides in New York. He received an AB, cum laude, from Cornell University, a MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law.

José de Lasa

José de Lasa’s career of over two decades spans startups, business development, complex negotiations, litigation, diversity, and international relations. He is an experienced negotiator, able to engage diverse stakeholders on intricate challenges; has spearheaded complex litigation and has acted as a general counsel for several startups. He has also led teams to enhance U.S./Cuba commercial engagement. He is a member of the NY bar, with an undergraduate degree from Tufts and a law degree from Tulane Law School.

José Ibietatorremendía

José Ibietatorremendía is a legal and strategic executive with almost three decades of experience. He has led and supported legal strategy and operations for private, pre-IPO, and public companies across diverse industries, including finance, technology, and healthcare. He has a proven track record of protecting his clients’ interests, ensuring compliance, managing risk, and facilitating business objectives in complex and dynamic environments. He is a member of the New York and New Jersey Bars and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and Carey Law School.

Aldo Alvarez

Aldo Alvarez is a Cuban entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Mercatoria, a Cuban company specializing in the national distribution of goods. He also developed a franchise of restaurants (Distinto) in La Habana, and is the principal coordinator of a community project named Deporte Total, involved in sports. He worked in Cuba and Spain as an attorney and business adviser to many foreign investors considering business opportunities in Cuba. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Havana and an additional graduate degree from Carlos III University in Madrid, Spain.

Diana Campoamor

Diana Campoamor is one of the leading experts on the philanthropic practices of Latinos. She served for almost three decades as the Founding President of Hispanics in Philanthropy, which she grew from a small network of funders and volunteer advocates into a highly-respected transnational philanthropic network. Diana is currently the Founder of Nuestra America Fund, an initiative focused on documenting Latino leadership and best practices in philanthropy. She received an undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and a masters degree from the University of Miami.

Enrique Iglesias

Enrique Iglesias has a long history of accomplishments in the fields of development, economics and foreign affairs. For 17 years, he served as the President of the Inter-American Development Bank, based in Washington, DC. Before then, he held the posts of President of the Central Bank of Uruguay and Minister of External Affairs of Uruguay.

Gerry Johnson

Gerry Johnson has extensive operational and investment experience in designing and executing development projects in the Caribbean. He is a former General Manager for the Caribbean at the Inter-American Development Bank, where he also served as Country Representative in Jamaica, Guatemala and Haiti. He obtained an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and a graduate degree from the University of Kent at Canterbury, England.

Hasan Tuluy

Hasan Tuluy is one of the world’s leading economic development experts with nearly four decades of experience in Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and Latin America. He served in numerous senior functional and geographic roles during almost 30 years at the World Bank, including as the Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean. A native of Turkey, he holds a PhD in Development Economics and Trade from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Javier Soto

Javier Soto is CEO of the Denver Foundation, a community foundation that mobilizes resources to meet the needs of the people of metropolitan Denver. He spent a decade as President and CEO of The Miami Foundation, where he led a period of significant growth and developed key initiatives, including “Give Miami Day,” which has raised more than $60M since 2012. He is a former Chairman of the Council on Foundations and currently serves on the board of America’s Promise Alliance, a nationwide movement to improve the lives and futures of young people. He has an undergraduate degree from Florida State University and a JD from Georgetown University Law Center.

Mauro Guillen

Mauro Guillen is the William H. Wurster Professor of Multinational Management and Vice Dean, MBA Program for Executives at The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He is one of the world’s leading experts on global market trends and a highly sought-after speaker and consultant. His online classes have attracted over 100,000 participants from around the world. His research has earned him many distinctions, including Fulbright, Rockefeller, and Guggenheim fellowships and a membership in the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University. One of his most recent books was translated into 15 different languages. He received undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Universidad de Oviedo in Spain and a PhD from Yale University.

Marta Deus

Marta Deus is an entrepreneur from Havana, Cuba. After studying Business Administration in Madrid, Marta returned to Havana to open her first business – Deus Expertos Contables – a business consulting firm. Marta co-founded a new digital magazine in Cuba – ‘Negolution’. Its vision is to inspire and promote Cuban entrepreneurs and their businesses, and develop the emerging concepts in Cuba of business incubation and mentorship. Thirdly co-founded Cuba’s first delivery company. This ground-breaking start-up is now in the process of scaling up, operating in Havana, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Santa Clara and Holguin.

Marta Tellado

Marta Tellado is President and CEO of Consumer Reports, an independent nonprofit that promotes the establishment of a fair and just consumer marketplace. Since joining nearly a decade ago, she has transformed one of America’s most trusted brands and iconic social enterprises, uniting its rigorous research, consumer insights, award-winning journalism and advocacy expertise to drive social impact. Previously, she was Vice President for Global Communications and an officer of the Board of the Ford Foundation. She has an undergraduate degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a PhD from Yale University, where she serves on the Board of Trustees.

Mukul Pandya

Mukul Pandya is an Associate Fellow at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School and a consulting editor of Oxford Business Review. He is especially focused on educating youth about climate change and financial literacy. He was the founding editor-in-chief and Executive Director of Knowledge@Wharton (K@W), the digital journal of research and business analysis published by The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, which he led for over 20 years. He has won four awards for investigative journalism and has more than 40 years of experience as a writer and editor. His articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist, Time magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer and other publications. He has a master’s degree from the University of Bombay, India.

William LeoGrande

William LeoGrande is Professor of Government and a specialist on Latin America at American University. He previously served as the Dean of the School of Public Affairs at American University. He is one of the most prolific contributors to the study of Cuban affairs and US policy toward Cuba. He was the co-author of Back Channel to Cuba: the Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana. He received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Syracuse University.
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