ABOUT
Americas Cultural Alliance was founded from a deep belief in the power of cultural and educational exchange to transform individuals and communities across the Americas.
The organization was inspired by the founder’s professional and research experience, which has revealed how cultural institutions can serve as bridges, connecting people across borders, disciplines, and perspectives.
Today, the Americas, and particularly the United States, have become a meeting place for the world. Cultures from across the globe converge here, creating spaces for dialogue that challenge assumptions, expand understanding, and invite new ways of seeing and engaging with one another. Across North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean, we are connected by shared histories, diverse ancestral roots, and powerful cultural expressions. Music, in particular, serves as a unifying force, a heartbeat that resonates across the Americas, deeply rooted in the African Diaspora and carried forward through countless traditions and contemporary forms.
Americas Cultural Alliance exists to nurture these connections. Through cultural and educational exchanges, language learning opportunities, artist residencies, research, and advising, the organization creates pathways for collaboration among artists, students, educators, and professionals. Our programs are designed to promote cross-cultural understanding, strengthen international relationships, and support the development of globally engaged citizens.
The organization is guided by a Board of Directors representing institutions and communities across the Americas, all of whom share a strong commitment to cultural exchange, education, and public service. Together, we believe that meaningful exchange fosters empathy, creativity, and shared responsibility, and that investing in these connections can lead to lasting social and cultural impact.
Americas Cultural Alliance is committed to ensuring that all programs serve the public good. Any program-related fees are modest and reinvested directly into program development, scholarships, and financial assistance to expand access and participation. No portion of the organization’s earnings benefits any private individual.
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LUISA MEJIA-GAGNON
Founder and Executive Director
Luisa is originally from Medellín, Colombia, and has spent much of her life between Colombia and the United States. This bicultural experience has deeply shaped her commitment to education, cultural exchange, and international collaboration. She holds a BA in Psychology, a master’s in Educational Leadership, and a PhD in Global Studies.
Throughout her career, Luisa has worked at the intersection of education and nonprofit community engagement, serving as a fundraiser, administrator, advisor, teacher, and lifelong learner. Her professional experience has shown her firsthand how educational and cultural exchanges expand perspectives, challenge assumptions, and open pathways that were once accessible only to a privileged few. Thanks to the work of mission-driven organizations, these opportunities are now reaching broader and more diverse communities.
Luisa founded Americas Cultural Alliance to help bridge people, institutions, and ideas across the Americas. At a time when societies are becoming increasingly siloed, she believes that fostering dialogue, collaboration, and mutual learning across cultures is more important than ever. Through this work, she hopes to support meaningful connections that turn shared aspirations into lived realities.
Michael Cooper
President of the Board of Directors
Often affectionately referred to as “Mr. Cooper,” a name many associate with his years as a teacher and principal, he began his career teaching in Ohio before relocating to Colombia. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Education and a master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling from The Ohio State University, as well as a certificate in Educational Leadership from the University of Alabama. After arriving in Medellín, he fell in love with the city’s climate, culture, and—most importantly—its people, and has made it his home ever since.
In 1982, he joined the teaching staff at the Columbus School, where he later served as High School Principal, leaving a lasting impression on generations of students and colleagues. Since 2005, he has served as Director of Centro Colombo Americano de Medellín, where he has played a central role in strengthening cultural and educational exchange between Colombia and the United States through bilingual education, arts programming, and community engagement.
In addition to his institutional leadership, he has contributed as an English-language narrator for educational and cultural media in Colombia and the United States and has participated in musical theater productions. Over several decades, he has positively impacted thousands of students, educators, artists, and community members. Widely respected and deeply admired, he is regarded as a beloved figure in Medellín’s cultural and educational landscape, where he continues to live and work.
Dr. Daniel Pinilla
Founding Board Member
Dr. Daniel Pinilla, Assistant Professor of Jazz Guitar at the University of Michigan, is a guitarist,
composer, and educator with over fifteen years of international experience performing,
recording, and teaching across the United States and Latin America. He has collaborated with the
Colombian National Symphony, the Grammy®-nominated UNT One O’Clock Lab Band, the
Bob Curnow Big Band, the Rachel Bade-McMurphy’s Glad Beed Orchestra, and with the Latin
pop artist Carlos Rivera.
Dr. Pinilla maintains an active performing and recording career. He has released two albums as a
bandleader—Intuiciones(FLD, 2011) and Atrás (2011)—and is soon to release his solo guitar
album, Single-Handed. His work as a composer, arranger, and guitarist has been recognized with
features such as the NYC Jazz Record’s December 2012 issue, and he has appeared on several
other recordings as a sideman.
He has shared his insights at numerous conferences and seminars, including the Jazz Education
Network Conference (JEN), the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, and international meetings such
as Art and Culture for Social Transformation and the First International Seminar: Theories and
Practices of Music Education at Universidad Central in Bogotá, Colombia.
Deeply committed to using music as a catalyst for social change, Dr. Pinilla has led and
collaborated on projects that organize music workshops and concerts for children in rural
Colombia, bringing creativity and connection to post-conflict communities while fostering
meaningful cultural exchange among music students and artists across Latin America and the
United States.
Before joining the University of Michigan, he served on the faculties of the Lionel Hampton
School of Music at the University of Idaho and Universidad de La Sabana in Colombia.
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ILEANA GUECHE
Founding Board Member
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Originally from Havana, Cuba, and a naturalized Mexican citizen since 1999, she began her musical studies at the age of nine. Trained as a musicologist at the Instituto Superior de Arte, her early education and cross-cultural experience have shaped a lifelong commitment to music education, artistic excellence, and the holistic development of young musicians.
Her career spans more than three decades across Cuba and Mexico, where she has worked as a choral conductor, vocal coach, educator, curriculum designer, and academic advisor. She has taught at universities, developed music curricula, and lectured widely on the role of music in children’s education. She is also the author of children’s music education books designed for both primary and early childhood learners.
She is the founder of Acapella Ensamble, performing internationally across the Americas and Europe, and the creator and director of the FIM Vocal “Jalisco Canta” International Vocal Music Festival. She also founded and directs the Escuela de Música Semper Altius (EMSA), now known as Novo Tempo, where she prepares young artists for advanced musical studies and supports pathways to leading international institutions.
Vladimir Betancur
Founding Board Member
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Juan Pablo Diaz
Founding Board Member
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