The Atlantic Council today announced a $25-million gift from leading American philanthropist and businesswoman Adrienne Arsht to endow the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center (AALAC). Arsht currently serves as Executive Vice Chair of the Atlantic Council and founder of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center and the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center.

The Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, which launched in 2013 with generous annual funding from Adrienne Arsht, is a leading nonpartisan voice in advancing innovative policy perspectives that challenge conventional wisdom about the region’s direction and illustrate why Latin America and the Caribbean matter for the world.

“I knew when we launched this center in 2013 that the Atlantic Council shared in my vision to embrace and incorporate Latin America and the Caribbean as equal and trusted partners in the transatlantic community. I am honored to support this important work in perpetuity and to have my family name connected to the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center,” said Adrienne Arsht.

Led by Senior Director Jason Marczak, the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center prioritizes thoughtful and impactful solutions to expand recognition of the region’s global relevance, its strategic importance for the United States, and how to advance a more prosperous future for Latin America and the Caribbean.

“We are grateful to Adrienne for this generous gift which ensures that our impact-driven work on this strategically important region continues for generations to come,” said Frederick Kempe, Atlantic Council President and CEO. “Over the past 9 years, the Latin America team has worked to integrate the region more fully into the transatlantic community by fostering a new era of partnership and action among political, business, and opinion leaders of Latin America, Europe, and the United States.”

With this generous gift, the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center will have the additional resources necessary to rise to the moment and further navigate an ever-changing international order. The Center will expand its work to raise the profile of the region’s strategic global role. It will launch new areas of work to advance thinking and action that accelerate greater prosperity and opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Said Jason Marczak, “I have had the privilege of working with Adrienne for 9 years and seen firsthand her deep passion and commitment to the region and the work of the center. Adrienne is a true champion of the Americas, working every day to elevate the importance of Latin America and the Caribbean. This generous gift is a testament to Adrienne’s belief that the region must be a policy priority.”

Saluting Adrienne Arsht

Today, the Atlantic Council hosted an event titled, “A Salute to Adrienne Arsht – Living Dangerously: A Risk and Resilience Symposium,” to honor Adrienne Arsht. The event featured high-level dialogue with thought leaders, elected officials, and celebrities on issues of policy and society on which Arsht has made significant impact. The program included the participation of: Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary, Department of Homeland Security; Juan Carlos Holguín, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ecuador; Erika Mouynes, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Panama; Chris Coons, US Senator,(D-DE); Maria Elvira Salazar, US Congresswoman, (R-FL); Debbie Wasserman Schultz, US Congresswoman (D-FL); Juan Gonzalez, Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council Senior Director for the Western Hemisphere; and Nate Mook, CEO, World Central Kitchen, among others.

Colombian President Iván Duque of Colombia and Ambassador Juan Carlos Pinzón presented Ms. Arsht with a special decoration to celebrate 200 years of Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of Colombia and the United States of America. Adrienne Arsht is the first person to receive this decoration.

The program included the worldwide debut of “Soy Como Tú.” A song written and performed by Grammy Winning and World Record composer, singer-songwriter Erika Ender, an Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center Advisory Council member, and produced by multi-platinum producer and Grammy-nominee Luigie “Lugo” Gonzalez. The song was performed in honor of the Atlantic Council and in appreciation of Ms. Arsht’s work and leadership.