Latin American & Caribbean Business and Studies Center

Lourdes Gabriela Daza Aramayo, Ph.D., is the founder and director of the Latin American and Caribbean Business and Studies Center (LAC-Center). She holds a Ph.D. in Economic Policy, with her thesis centering on relations between Latin America and the European Union. She also earned an Ing. degree in Political Economics with a specialization in socio-economic data analysis from the Faculty of Economics at the Prague University of Economics and Business, later acting as lecturer at both the Faculty of Economics and the Faculty of International Relations at that same institution.

Her current research interests include EU–Latin America and Caribbean relations, international trade, trade and gender, economic policy, and economic analysis Additionally, she is a member of the Bi-Regional Academic Council within the Permanent Academic Forum Latin America and Caribbean–European Union and served as executive director of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Economics, Prague, from 2008 to 2018, where she also lectured in the Department of Economics and International Trade.

Martin Steiner

Ing. Marek Vokoun, Ph.D.

Freddy Valverde Stevanovich

Mgr. Michaela Proskočilová

Mgr. Veronika Johanovská

The International Board of the LAC-Center contributes to the development and internationalization of the Center, in addition to fostering the growth of a network of similar research centers, universities, and institutions that focus on social and economic challenges within the Latin American and Caribbean regions.:

Current board members:

H.E. Mr. Claudio Javier Rozencwaig, ambassador of Argentina to the Czech Republic

H.E. Mr. Hernán Pablo Arturo Bascuñán Jiménez, ambassador of Chile to the Czech Republic

Ms. Deniese Ava-Lou Sealey, chargé d’affaires

H.E. Mrs. Ana Berenice Díaz Ceballos Parada ambassador of Mexico to the Czech Republic

H.E. Mrs. Saylín Martínez Tarrío, ambassador of Cuba to the Czech Republic

H.E. Ms. Florencia Eugenia Vilanova De Von Oehsen, ambassador of El Salvador to Germany with concurrence in the Czech Republic

H.E. Mrs. Elena María Freije Murillo, ambassador of Honduras to Germany with concurrence in the Czech Republic

Mr. Juan Guillermo Diaz Sena, consul for Dominican Republic in Czech Republic

Mr. Carlos Mario Del Castillo Giuffra, minister-counsellor, deputy head of mission, chargé d’Affaires a.i. of Peru to the Czech Republic

The mission of the Academic Council is to promote the development of all the LAC-Center’s academic and research-related activities. It assists the Center in working with local, regional, national, European, and other institutions to promote research, facilitate the creation of networks and consortia, and attract resources to support its mission within AAU.

The Academic Council is made up of distinguished personalities from around the world, both from governmental and international organizations, similar centers to the LAC, universities, and the general community whose interests lie in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

The LAC-Center director recommends candidates for membership on the Council, which meets formally twice a year (generally in May and September), with additional meetings held as suggested by the chairman and director.

Current Academic Council members:

Héctor Casanueva

Former ambassador of Chile in Geneva (2014–2018), representing Chile before the World Trade Organization and other international organizations based in Geneva. He has also served as Chile’s ambassador to ALADI and MERCOSUR. Currently, he is the vice president of the Chilean Council for Foresight and Strategy and resides in Spain, where he is a professor and researcher in the master’s program on Strategic Cooperation between the European Union and Latin America at the University Institute for Research in Latin American Studies (IELAT) at the University of Alcalá. He also teaches at the University of Political Studies and Administration in Romania and at Miguel de Cervantes University in Chile. Additionally, he is the vice president of the Permanent Academic Forum for Latin America, the Caribbean, and the European Union (FAP ALC-EU). 

Christian Ghymers

President of IRELAC and professor of International Economics at ICHEC-Brussels Management School, Ghymers also serves as president of the Belgo-Chilean Chamber of Commerce and vice president of the Robert Triffin International Foundation. Additionally, he has held roles as counselor in Economic and Financial Affairs at the National Bank of Belgium, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL) in Chile, and the European Commission. 

Prof. Dr. Mario Torres Jarrín

Director of the Institute of European Studies and Human Rights at the Pontifical University of Salamanca (Spain), Torres Jarrín previously served as director of the European Institute of International Studies in Sweden. He holds a Ph.D. in History, a Master’s in European Union Studies, and a B.A. in Business Studies from the University of Salamanca. He is also the executive secretary of the Consortium of Universities IBERO-EURO-AMERICA, a council academic member of the EU-LAC Academic Forum, and a task force member for both “The Future of Work and Education for the Digital Age” and “The Multilateralism and Global Governance Future” within the G20/T20 Summits system.

Mónica Velasco, Ph.D.

Director of the European Union–Latin America and Caribbean chair at the European Institute for International Studies (EIIS) in Salamanca and Stockholm, Velasco holds a Ph.D. in Law with a focus on International Studies from the University of Barcelona and has been a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Luxembourg. Her current research examines the political dimension of European Union relations with Latin America and the Caribbean, particularly the promotion of human rights in Mexico through political conditionality under the so-called “human rights clause”.