B. E. Aguirre is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware and a faculty member of the Disaster Research Center. He obtained his Ph.D. in Sociology at Ohio State University.

José Alvarez is the author or co-author of three books on Cuba’s agricultural sector and numerous articles. He recently co-edited, with Jorge Pérez-López, Reinventing the Cuban Sugar Agroindustry (Lexington Books, 2005).

Domingo Amuchástegui es Profesor de Conflictos Regionales, investigador independiente y especialista en Estudios Cubanos.

Timothy Ashby holds a J.D. from Seattle University, a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Southern California, and an MBA from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Dr. Ashby formerly served at the U.S. Commerce Department, International Trade Administration, as Director of the Office of Mexico and the Caribbean, with responsibility for commercial relations with Cuba. He is currently special counsel with the law firm of Duane Morris, LLP, where he advises on international business issues.

Juan A. Belt is Director, Office of Infrastructure and Engineering, United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Andrea Colantonio is a postdoctoral researcher at Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom. He graduated in economics from the University of Rome, Italy, and earned a Masters Degree on Area Studies (Latin America) at the University of London, United Kingdom. In 2005, he completed his Ph.D. at the University of Reading, United Kingdom. His dissertation was recently published by Ashgate under the title of Urban Tourism and Development in the Socialist State: Havana During The “Special Period.”

Rolando H. Castañeda es consultor económico. Se retiró del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo donde fue funcionario por 27 años, siendo su última asignación como Especialista Principal de Proyectos en Santiago, Chile, en 1996-2001.

Eudel Cepero is an Environmental Analyst at the Applied Research Center, Florida International University. He has published several scientific papers as well as numerous articles on environmental issues in newspapers and magazines.

Alfred G. Cuzan is Professor and Chair, Department of Government, University of West Florida.

Larry Daley holds BSA and MSA degrees from the University of Florida and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis. He is currently Professor of Biophysics and Biochemistry of Plant Germplasm at the Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon.

Sergio Díaz-Briquets is Executive Director of the nonprofit Council for Human Development, Alexandria, Virginia, and an international consultant.

Daniel P. Erikson is director of Caribbean programs at the Inter-American Dialogue, Washington, D.C. Prior to joining the Dialogue, he earned a Masters in Public Policy as a Dean’s Fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, worked as a research associate at Harvard Business School, and was a Fulbright fellow in Mexico.

Oscar Espinosa Chepe se graduó como economista en 1967 en la Universidad de La Habana. Trabajó en varias agencias del gobierno y fue víctima de juicio político y expulsado de su trabajo en el Banco Nacional en 1992. Fue condenado a 20 años de prisión en abril de 2003 por sus actividades como analista económico y periodista independiente. Recibió Licencia Extrapenal desde el 29 de noviembre de 2004 “hasta que se considere que ha recuperado su salud.” A partir de su libertad condicional ha continuado analizando la situación de Cuba, fundamentalmente en lo económico, escribiendo, y publicando. En 2003 se publicó su libro Crónica de un Desastre, por la Editorial Hispano-Cubana, Madrid.

Lianne Fernández Granda is Research Scientist, Instituto de Investigaciones Fundamentales en Agricultura Tropical (INIFAT), Santiago de Las Vegas, Cuba.

Antonio Gayoso is Adjunct Professor, Thunderbird Garvin School of International Management.

Mario A. González-Corzo holds a Ph.D. in International Relations with a concentration in Economics from Rutgers University. He is currently Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Lehman College, The City University of New York (CUNY).

G. B. Hagelberg had an intimate view of Cuba’s sugar industry and economy as a journalist on the island from 1960 to 1968 and is the author of numerous publications, including a book-length study, The Caribbean Sugar Industries: Constraints and Opportunities (1974). From 1980 to 1986, he served as the resident sugar adviser of the government of Barbados and was decorated for his services with an Honorary Silver Crown of Merit in the Order of Barbados. More recently, he contributed to Reinventing the Cuban Sugar Agroindustry, edited by Jorge Pérez-López and José Alvarez (2005).

Vanessa K. Harper is a graduate student, School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida.

Ted Henken is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Hispanic Studies at Baruch College, City University of New York.

Ernesto Hernandez-Catá, is Professorial Lecturer in International Economics, School for Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.

Peter E. Hildebrand is Professor Emeritus, Food and Resource Economics Department and the School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida.

Katherine Hirschfeld is an Assistant Professor in the Anthropology Department at the University of Oklahoma. She recently published Health, Politics and Revolution in Cuba since 1898, Transaction Press, 2006.

Scott R. Jablonski holds a J.D. and M.P.I.A. with a focus in international political economy from the University of Pittsburgh, graduate Certificates of Advanced Study in International & Comparative Law and on Latin America from the University of Pittsburgh, and a B.A. in Political Science and Foreign Language/International Studies from Gannon University. Mr. Jablonski presently practices in the Business & Finance and Latin America Practice Groups in the Miami office of the law firm of Hogan & Hartson LLP, where he focuses on international business transactions.

Elizabeth Kath studied political science and journalism with honors in political science at the University of Queensland. She is currently writing her Ph.D. and working as a tutor and research assistant. Her Ph.D. research focuses on social capital, state capacity, and Cuba’s maternal-infant health program. She has worked and traveled extensively throughout Latin America, and spent most of 2004 in Havana conducting research.

Salvador Larrúa Guedes es escritor, historiador, Dr. en Ciencias Económicas, Analista Principal de la economía cubana en 1976-1990. Ha publicado 16 libros. Fue Profesor de la Universidad de La Habana y del Seminario Mayor de San Carlos y San Ambrosio. Reside en los Estados Unidos desde junio, 2006.

Scott Larson is Project Coordinator for the Cuba Project at the Bildner Center for Western Hemisphere Studies, The Graduate Center at The City University of New York (CUNY). He is also a Ph.D. student with the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (Geography) at The Graduate Center (CUNY).

Angelique Lawrence is a Research Analyst at the Applied Research Center, Florida International University. She holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science and has over 5 years experience as a GIS Specialist concentrating on the application of GIS tools for geographic analysis, mapping, data management, Internet, and mobile applications.

Armando S. Linde is Deputy Secretary of the International Monetary Fund and of its ministerial advisory body, the International Monetary and Financial Committee. He also holds the position of Secretary of the IMF’s External Evaluation Committee, and chairs the Information Technology Policy Committee. He has served in a number of other senior positions at the IMF, including Senior Advisor in the Western Hemisphere Department (WHD), Senior Resident Representative in India, and Chief of the River Plate Division in WHD. Mr. Linde did his graduate work in economics at the University of Maryland. Currently, he is ASCE’s president.

Luis Locay is Associate Professor of Economics, School of Business, University of Miami.

William A. Messina, Jr., is Coordinator of Economic Analyses, Food and Resource Economics Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida.

Lorenzo L. Pérez is Deputy Director, Middle East and Central Asia Department, International Monetary Fund. He worked previously in the Western Hemisphere Department of the Fund, leading missions to several countries including to Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama, and in the Fiscal Affairs Department. Earlier in his career he worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Daniel J. Perez-Lopez is a Mathematical Statistician in the Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. He is pursuing an M.S. in Statistics at George Mason University. He holds a B.A. in Economics from the College of William & Mary.

Jorge F. Pérez-López is an international economist residing in Falls Church, Virginia. He received a Ph.D. in Economics from the State University of New York at Albany.

Kathleen G. Perez-Lopez is Senior Research Scientist at the American Institutes for Research, Washington, D.C. She holds a Ph.D. in Information Technology with specialization in computer imaging processing from George Mason University and an M.A. and B.A., both in Mathematics, from the State University of New York at Albany.

Philip Peters is Vice President of the Lexington Institute, Arlington, Virginia. He has responsibility for international economic programs with a focus on Latin America.

Archibald R.M. Ritter is Professor of Economics, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.

Orlando Rivero-Valdés es Lienciado en Derecho (Universidad de La Habana, 1993), Master en Derecho Privado (Universidad de Valencia, España, 2001), Doctor en Ciencias Jurídicas (Cuba, 2002). Ejerció como abogado en Cuba (1993-2003). Fue Profesor Principal de Derecho sobre Bienes (Derechos Reales y Derecho Inmobiliario Registral) de la Universidad de La Habana entre 1996 y 2003. Ha publicado Temas de Derechos Reales, Editorial Félix Varela, Universidad de La Habana, 2001. Reside en Los Ángeles, California.

Elena Sacchetti is a graduate student in the Department of Social Anthropology, University of Seville, Spain.

Rafael E. Saumell es Profesor de español del Sam Houston State University, Texas. Ex-prisionero político (1981-1986); graduado de Licenciatura en Lingüística Francesa por la Universidad de La Habana (1978); doctorado en literatura hispanoamericana por Washington University en Saint Louis, Missouri (1994).

Joseph L. Scarpaci is Professor of Geography at Virginia Tech.

Felipe Sixto is Chief of Staff of the Center for a Free Cuba, an independent, not-for-profit human rights and pro-democracy organization founded in November 1997 which promotes democratic values and a transition to democracy in Cuba. Mr. Sixto holds a B.A. and a M.A. in International Relations from Florida International University and J.D. in International Law from American University.

Soren Triff, escritor y activista de la sociedad civil, es profesor de español y culturas hispánicas en Bristol Community College, Massachusetts, y gerente de producción de publicaciones del Centro de Excelencia de la Unión Europea de la Universidad de Miami.

Kelsey Vidaillet wrote this essay as an undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She is currently at Florida International University, where is pursuing a Master of Arts in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, with a concentration in Cuban Studies.