First Border Forum of the Arizona – Sonora Mega Region

This forum will explore the dynamic issues facing the Arizona-Sonora Mega Region, focusing on trade, migration, development, and water management. Discussions will examine how these interconnected topics impact the regional economy and community well-being, and their implications for cross-border collaboration. 

Panel discussions featuring academics and experts from both the private and public sectors will foster a vibrant and productive dialogue. The event aims to enhance understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the Mega Region, while analyzing potential risks and opportunities for sustainable development and cooperation.

The views expressed by panelists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated. 

9:45 am - 10:00 am MST

Registration

10:00 am – 10:30 am MST   

Welcoming Remarks  

• Marcos Moreno, Consul General of Mexico in Nogales 

• Michelle N. Ward, General Consul of the United States in Nogales

• Marisol Flores-Aguirre, Director of Southern Arizona Office at Office of Governor Hobbs

• Gerardo Valenzuela, International Liaison Executive Coordinator of Sonora

• María Calderón, Program Associate, Wilson’s Center Mexico Institute

• Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Representative

10:30 am – 12:00 pm MST 

Panel 1 - Trade and investment in the border region between Arizona and Sonora  

• Daniel Rivera: President of INDEX Nogales

  Daniel Rivera is a Mexican Public Accountant with extensive experience in the manufacturing sector. He is currently the President of Index Nogales, an association of Maquiladoras in the state of Sonora. 

• Joshua Rubin: Chairman of Santa Cruz County Port Authority 

  Joshua Rubin is Chairman of the Santa Cruz County Port Authority, which works in partnership with the public and private sectors to strengthen the regional economy. In addition, Joshua is a Board Member of Index Nogales and Board Member of the Economic Development Foundation. 

• María Elena Gallego: President of the Nogales Business Council  

  Maria Elena Gallego is a Mexican American citizen and prominent businesswoman from Sonora.  President and CEO of Collectron International Management, Inc. She is currently President of the Business Council of Nogales, Sonora. In 2010 she was considered one of the 50 most powerful women in Mexico according to CNN.  

• Moderator:  Marisol Flores-Aguirre, Director Southern Arizona Office at Office of Governor Hobbs 

  Marisol Flores-Aguirre is Director Southern Arizona Office from the Office of Arizona Governor, Katie Hobbs. Furthermore, Marisol has worked in different areas of the public and private sector and holds a master's degree in MA Human Rights Practice.  

12:00 pm – 12:15 pm MST 

Break

12:15 pm – 1:45 pm MST  

Panel 2 - Economic impact of migrants in border communities  
 

• José Israel Ibarra, Research Professor of Migration and Human Rights at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF)

  José Israel Ibarra (PhD) is Research Professor of Migration and Human Rights at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (Colef) Nogales Unit. He is co-founder and researcher at Migration Studies and Consulting, Continente Móvil, and specializes in the research lines of social integration of deported migrants, forced internal displacement and transnational civil migration organizations. 

• Javier Duran, Professor of Latin American & Border Studies at Center for Latin American Studies   

  Javier Duran (PhD) is Professor of Latin-American and Border Studies at the Center for Latin American Studies and the founding director of the Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry at the University of Arizona. He is a specialist in cultural and interdisciplinary studies along the U.S.-Mexico border and a native of the Arizona-Sonora desert region.   

• Karla Vargas – Senior Assistant of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Tijuana  

  Karla Vargas is Senior Assistant of International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Tijuana. Her educational and professional career in different organizations has been with a focus on human rights and international affairs. 

• Moderator: Marcos Moreno Báez, Consul General of Mexico in Nogales 

  Marcos Moreno Báez is Consul General of Mexico in Nogales. He holds a law degree and two master's degrees in international relations and international law. Throughout his career as a diplomat, he has had a particular focus on human rights.

LUNCH BREAK 

1:45 pm – 2:15 pm MST 

2:15 pm – 3:45 pm MST

Panel 3 - Security for Development of the Arizona – Sonora Mega Region  

• Mark Sanders: Director of International and Local Affairs at Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT)   

  Mark Sanders is Director of the Office of International and Local Affairs of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), the government office focused on the development of highway infrastructure and transportation services in the State. 

• Luis Ramírez: President of Ramirez Advisors International   

  Luis Ramírez is President of Ramirez Advisors Inter-national, a specialized firm dedicated to creating and implementing innovative solutions for cross-border business and economic development opportunities. 

• Jesús Alberto Ibarra: Research Journalist

  Jesús Alberto Ibarra is an investigative journalist with expertise in Transparency, Open Data and social networks. He is a PhD candidate at El Colegio de Sonora. He is a fellow of The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and is a grantee of The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF).

• Víctor Hugo Enríquez García: Secretary of Public Safety of Sonora, Mexico

  Victor Hugo Enríquez Garcia is the Secretary of Public Security of the state of Sonora, Mexico. He has a long professional career in the public sector, where he has worked in the National Anti-Kidnapping Coordination and in the Investigation Division of the Federal Police. He also has a PhD in Public Administration and two master's degrees in Strategic Intelligence and Criminal Sciences, respectively. 

• Moderator: María Calderón Escobedo: Program Associate, Mexico Institute

  María Calderón is the Program Associate of the Mexico Institute. Before joining the Mexico Institute, María was a Graduate Fellow for the Mexico practice at McLarty Associates in Washington, D.C. She previously served as a Research Assistant for Georgetown Law´s Center for the Advancement of the Rule of Law in the Americas (CAROLA), where she specialized in Mexico´s Investor-State Dispute System (ISDS) framework and institutions. She also has extensive experience in legal translation projects and was a monthly columnist for Página Uno.María served as a Legal Associate and Project Manager for several years at a Mexican boutique law firm's administrative and regulatory law practice in Mexico City.

3:45 pm – 4:00 pm MST  

Break

4:00 pm – 5:30 pm MST

Panel 4 - Borderlands Exchange: Water Management Across Borders

• Claudia Gil Anaya: Environmental Science Specialist at Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (AZDEQ)  

  Claudia Gil is an Environmental Science Specialist at Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (AZDEQ). She is an expert on border water issues for the Ambos Nogales region. Claudia is a Civil Engineer with two master's degrees, one in Land Road Engineering and the other in Geographic Information Systems. 

• Laura Norman: Supervisory Research Physical Scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey  

  Laura Norman (PhD) is a Supervisory Research Physical Scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey, has worked there since 1998. Her research is focused on understanding the types, rates, causes, and consequences of land use change in relationship to water resources. 

• Hilda García: Professor and researcher, Department of Population Studies at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF) 

  Hilda García (PhD) is Professor and researcher, Department of Population Studies at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF). She is an epidemiologist, her research and teaching focuses on the social determinants of health in urban areas of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.  

• Moderator: Francisco Lara Valencia: Professor, School of Transborder Studies at Arizona State University (ASU) 

  Francisco Lara Valencia is a professor at the School of Transborder Studies and Southwest Borderland Scholar at Arizona State University.  His research focuses on socio-environmental vulnerability, regional development, urban governance and planning, and the role of community networks on sustainable development in U.S.-Mexico border and the U.S. Southwest. 

5:30 pm - 6:00 pm MST  

Key Findings & Closing Remarks 

• Francisco Lara Valencia, Professor, School of Transborder Studies at Arizona State University (ASU) 

• María Calderón, Program Associate, Mexico Institute

• Marisol Flores-Aguirre, Director of Southern Arizona Office at Office of Governor Hobbs

• Marcos Moreno Báez, Consul General of Mexico in Nogales