Members

Dr. J. Michael Turner, PhD - Scholar (Honorary Board Member).
Originally from Barbados, Mr. Turner is an Associate Professor of History Director of Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program at Hunter College, City University of New York, Fellow at the Bildner Center for Western Hemisphere Studies, and Co-founder of the Global Afro Latino and Caribbean Initiative (GALCI). Based in part upon his work for the Brazil Office of the Ford Foundation in the 1980s, Professor Turner's interest in social justice for African-descendants in Brazil has expanded to developing advocacy programs in conjunction with the Franklin H. Williams African Diaspora Institute and Caribbean Cultural Center for Afro Latino NGOs in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Panama, Venezuela, Honduras, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Barbados, and the Dominican Republic, among other countries in the Caribbean and Latin America. Initially designed to support the work of Afro Latino NGOs attending the United Nations World Conference on Racism, Xenophobia and Other Forms of Social Intolerance (Durban UN Conference, 2001), GALCI also collaborated with its members to provide better and more regular access to such multi-lateral funding institutions as the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Inter-American Foundation, and private donors such as the Ford and Rockefeller foundations.

Casey Reckman, MA - Corporate Partnership & International Development.
Ms. Reckman works in macroeconomic research and analysis at Credit Suisse. She earned a BA in Public Policy Studies from Duke University, with a minor is Spanish and a Certificate in Latin American Studies. Later, she received a MA in International Affairs from The Johns Hopkins University, where she concentrated in Latin American Studies, International Finance and Emerging Markets.  In the recent past, Ms. Reckman was a director in Fitch Ratings were she was responsible for analysis and ratings of sovereign creditworthiness in Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to joining Fitch in 2006, she worked for Manatt Jones Global Strategies in Washington, DC, where she performed macroeconomic and political risk analysis for business development and government relations purposes. She has also conducted analysis for AIG Capital Group in Buenos Aires, taught English in Santo Domingo, and monitored Latin American and European issues for Human Rights Watch. She has traveled extensively within Latin America and also lived in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic for over a year. She speaks fluent Spanish and has a working knowledge of Portuguese.

Ilia Nieves-Hoque, MPA - Local Business Partnership & Community Outreach.
Mrs. Nieves-Hoque grew up in a very tight-knitted Latino family in the middle of one of the hardest neighborhoods in Brooklyn. After graduating high school, she received a BA in Sociology from Hunter College and an MPA from Long Island University. While working on her Master's Degree in Public Administration and Long Term Health Care, she was bestowed with the opportunity to work at the United Nations for the UNSO Program, which is designed for sustainable development. Now, she is a local businesswoman and entrepreneur.

Amoy Barnes, BA - Public Relations & Fundraising.
As a native of Spanish Town, Jamaica, Ms. Barnes understands the need for HIV/AIDS awareness programs for youth.  As a peer educator in high school, she advised her peers on sex education and performed advocacy work going from class to class and from school to school improving outreach and accessibility of information.  While studying at the State University at Albany, she was accepted into Project S.H.A.P.E (Sexual, Health, Education and Peer Education), a peer counseling program promoting sex and health education.  As a Sociology major, she concentrated in sexual education, prevention and outreach. She also worked alongside well-noted sociologist Professor Dr. Horton, founder of Capitalize on Community (COC), a community initiative engaging religious and non-religious organizations to promote HIV/AIDS awareness and to change the social stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, primarily in African American and Latino communities.  After receiving her B.A. in Sociology, Ms. Barnes began working for New York State Senator Diane Savino, where she is currently the Director of Constituent Services and works closely with local city, state and private entities to assist the Senator and her diverse constituency.

Onel Mulet - Cultural Initiatives & Special Events.
Mr. Mulet is a Brooklyn-based producer, composer, and musician whose nearly 30-year career has taken him all over the world. A Miami native of Cuban descent, he has lived in New York since 2002. Before relocating from Miami, he worked on community-based cultural initiatives through the Iroko Afro-Cuban dance theater, a Miami Beach based non profit he helped to establish and grow. Since 1995 he has been organizing events that indulge his love for cultural diversity and dedication to public service. He has produced events for Habana|Harlem (TM), a cultural production and independent label, at BAM Cafe, Summer Stage, Joes Pub, and Harlem Stages Gatehouse Theater.