Mr. Collin Laverty’s expertise and focus on U.S.-Cuba academic exchange and Cuba policy concerns date back many years. Nearly a decade ago, Mr. Laverty took part in a semester-long study abroad program between the College of Charleston and Havana’s Institute of Philosophy, one of only a handful of U.S. programs on the island at the time. He then served as the director of the Center for Democracy in the America’s Cuba program for several years, taking dozens of members of the U.S. Congress and Congressional staff on fact-finding trips to Cuba. Mr. Laverty has visited the island over one hundred times and is the author of numerous reports and articles on diverse themes related to U.S.-Cuba relations and Cuban society. His recently released book, “Cuba’s New Resolve: Economic Reform and its Implications for U.S. Policy,” was widely reported on in U.S. and Cuban media.