ACURIL 2025 Curaçao

Born on the island of Curaçao but raised on Sint Maarten. She holds a bachelor’s degree in dance, a Master of Fine Arts degree in dance and choreography with a specialization in dance in education from the State University of New York at Brock.

Ms. Reyes is certified yoga instructor a former dance educator at the University of Rochester New York, a former Lecturer at the University of St. Martin, head of Department for Culture Artistic Formation at the St. Maarten Academy Vocational Campus, founder of Imbali Center for Creative Movement, Co-founder and former co-director for the National Institute of Arts.

Today Ms. Reyes is the Head of Department of Culture within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sport of Sint Maarten.

González-Vélez is Dean for Academic Affairs at UPR-Rio Piedras. Holds a Ph.D. in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Iowa.

Her research explores digital cultures, communication and imagined identities. Her most recent scholarship addresses Caribbean digital humanities as a fluid, community-based, postcolonial experience. 

She is a team member of Caribbean Digital Scholarship Collective (CDSC) and Archivo de Respuestas a Emergencias de PR (AREPR).

In 1995 she created Fondation Connaissance et Liberté (FOKAL, Knowledge and Freedom Foundation, www.fokal.org), a member of the Open Society Institute – Soros Foundation’s network – which she directed for 13 years. FOKAL focuses on education, culture, community development, environment, gender equity, and civil society endeavors.

In September 2008, she became Prime Minister of Haiti, while also serving as Minister of Justice and Public Security. Upon leaving office in November 2009, she returned to FOKAL as President, coordinating special projects related to Haiti’s post-earthquake reconstruction efforts. Pierre-Louis is also a University teacher and often lectures in foreign universities.

LIBER President since july 2022, Director of Libraries and Learning Center at University of Lille.

Julien Roche also has several national responsibilities including co-chair of the French training professional program for newly appointed university library directors, and co-chair of the “European and international” college of the French Open Science Committee since July 2018.

LIBER is the place where the role of European university and research libraries is and will be (re)designed for the future.

Keynote speaker Dr. Bryan Carter received his Ph.D. at the University of Missouri-Columbia and is currently a Professor in Africana Studies at the University of Arizona specializing in African American literature of the 20th Century with a primary focus on the Harlem Renaissance and a secondary emphasis on digital culture. Dr. Carter is also the Director of the Center for Digital Humanities for the College of Humanities.