William M. LeoGrande

William M. LeoGrande is a non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute and associate vice-provost for Academic Affairs, professor of Government, and Dean Emeritus of the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, D.C. He is the co-author of Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana.

Jeffrey DeLaurentis

Ambassador (ret.) Jeffrey DeLaurentis is a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center. He served for 27 years in the U.S. Foreign Service, including as the first Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Havana following the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba during the Obama Administration.

Vicki Huddleston

Ambassador (ret.) Vicki Huddleston was the U.S. Ambassador to Mali and to Madagascar and acting Ambassador in Ethiopia. She is a former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Africa. Earlier in her career she held the same position at the Department of State. Vicki was the Chief of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana from 1999 to 2002.

Lee Schlenker (Moderator)

Lee Schlenker is a research associate with the Global South program at the Quincy Institute. Schlenker previously served as the policy director at an advocacy organization working to improve U.S.-Cuba relations and Cuba program co-director and Northeast regional director at an international peace organization.