The Biennial of the Americas will host its first-ever Americas Leadership Luncheon, an official opening event for the inaugural Cities Summit of the Americas in Denver from April 26-30, 2023. This year the Americas Leadership Luncheon celebrates the work and progress of female leaders, trailblazers, and innovators from across the Americas with over 700 anticipated guests from civic, business, and cultural organizations.
Join us for one of the greatest gatherings of mayors, local, and international leaders in the Western Hemisphere.
Watch the Live Stream Event from the Seawell Ballroom below.
PROGRAM
Presented by the Biennial of the Americas, the Americas Leadership Luncheon at the Seawell Ballroom will engage with top leaders from across the Western Hemisphere to discuss this generation’s most pressing issues on on Wednesday, April 26, 2023.
Date
Wednesday, April 26, 2023
Location
Seawell Ballroom 1350 Arapahoe St, Denver, CO 80204
Time
10:30 a.m. VIP & Mayors Networking Reception
11:30 a.m. Registration
11:45 a.m. Prelude Concert Reception by Neoma
12:10 p.m. Welcome & Cities Summit of the Americas Logo Award Winner
12:20 p.m. Keynote Speaker Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson on The Role of Arts, Culture, and Design in Building Vibrant and Healthy Cities
12:45 p.m Cleo Parker Robinson Performance Freedom Dance
12:55 p.m. From the Americas Video
1:00 p.m. Mayors from the Americas Panel
1:40 p.m. Final Remarks
2:00 p.m. Event Ends
Mayors from the Americas Panel
Moderator
Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson
Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts | The nation’s first African American and Mexican American woman to be NEA Chair.
Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson’s work focuses on understanding and elevating arts, culture, and deign as critical elements of healthy communities. Dr. Jackson became the 13th chair of the National Endowment for the Arts in January 2022, after confirmed appointment by the U.S. Senate in December 2021.
Dr. Jackson was appointed to the National Council of the Arts by President Barack Obama in 2012 where she served until becoming chair of the NEA. Dr. Jackson was co-chair of the County of Los Angeles Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiatve and, most recently, served on the advisory boards of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the Equity Center at the University of Virginia, the Strong, Prosperous and Resilient Communities CDhallenge (SPARCC), and L.A. Commons. She served on the board of directors of the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County (The Music Center), the Association of Arts Administration Educators, and the Alliance for California Traditional Arts.
Mayor Claudia López
Bogotá, Colombia
Mayor Claudia López Hernández is the first elected female mayor of Bogotá. Mayor López served as Senator from 2014 to 2018 and ran as vice-presidential candidate in the 2018 presidential election.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek
Calgary, Canada
Mayor Jyoti Gondek is the first elected female mayor of Calgary. She is known as a driven community builder, diversity champion, and promoter of cross-sector partnerships. She served as City Councilwoman before her election.
Mayor Jeni Arndt
Fort Collins, Colorado
Mayor Jeni Arndt is the mayor of Fort Collins, CO, where she was born and raised. A proud Colorado native and educator, Mayor Arndt lived and worked in Mozambique, Africa and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco.
FEATURED ARTISTs
Zoe Moff
From Buenos Aires, Argentina performing Latin American Jazz
Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Zoe Moff is a composer, bass player, freelance producer, audio and live sound engineer, as well as a session musician for numerous groups around the world. She has played with artists such as Cous at Red Rocks Ampitheatre in 2022. She is the founder of Neo-Soul Fusion group and People in Between, a Denver-based Funk/Hip-Hop group.
Neoma
From Cuenca, Ecuador performing HYPERREAL
The bilingual electro-pop star began her music career in 2017 in her hometown of Cuenca, Ecuador. She hit top charts with her single “Real” (watch here) and upon moving to Denver in 2019, she released her debut album by the same name. Neoma carries with her the culture and flag of Ecuador, and represents the Latinx community. She was the Spotify RADAR Andinos artist of 2022. Meet Neoma.
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance - Inspiring Movement!
From Denver, Colorado performing Freedom Dance
Currently celebrating its 52nd Anniversary Season rooted in the artistic legacy of African-American traditions, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance views dance as a universal language that transcends boundaries of culture, class, and age. Cleo Parker Robinson Dance is committed to honoring diversity and inclusiveness throughout the global community. PC Jerry Metellus.
Ana Maria Hernando
From Buenos Aires, Argentina showcasing Fervor
Ana Maria is a multidisciplinary artist whose work focuses on using empathy to make the invisible visible. Her art invites viewers to question our preconceptions of the other – including nature and the earth – their worth, and their value. During her childhood, she watched women in her family come together to sew, crochet, and embroider, sharing the everyday with one another, a power that was difficult to define but impossible to ignore as a community.
Cities Summit of the Americas
The Biennial of the Americas is a proud organizing parter of the inaugural Cities Summit of the Americas
The Cities Summit in Denver, CO from April 26-28, 2023 will promote regional cooperation, convening subnational leaders from across the entire Western Hemisphere with diverse and inclusive representatives of government, civil society, business, academia, youth, culture and the arts, and indigenous and underrepresented groups.
Events will include plenary sessions, stakeholder roundtables, expert panels, networking sessions, commercial engagements, and public outreach activities, all to address a range of priorities local communities across the Americas share.
The Biennial of the Americas is a proud organizing partner of this event alongside the U.S. State Department, the State of Colorado, and the City of Denver.
SPONSORS
Thank you to our sponsors, for furthering our mission of creating connections, building community, and inspiring change across the Americas.
Supporters
Thank you for your continuous support in making Denver a hub of connectivity across the Americas.
Partners
