Governor, Florida
Ron DeSantis is the 46th Governor of the State of Florida. Since taking office in January 2019, he has worked hard to expand education opportunities, improve Florida’s water resources and Everglades, champion vocational training, bolster public safety, foster innovation in health care, assist with hurricane recovery, promote infrastructure development and support veterans – all while lowering taxes and being fiscally responsible.
A native Floridian, Governor DeSantis worked his way through Yale University, where he captained the university baseball team and graduated magna cum laude. He also gradated with honors from Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, he earned a commission in the U.S. Navy as a JAG Officer. During his active duty service, then- Lieutenant DeSantis deployed to Iraq as an advisor to a U.S. Navy SEAL Commander in support of the SEAL mission in Iraq. His military decorations include the Iraq Campaign Medal of the Bronze Star Medal (meritorious service).
Prior to serving as Governor, DeSantis served as the U.S. Congressman for Florida’s 6th District. As Chairman of the National Security Subcommittee, DeSantis spearheaded efforts to reform the UA, combat terrorism, identify government waste and relocate the American Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. As a Congressman, DeSantis championed term limits, fiscal responsibility with a strong national defense.
Governor DeSantis is married to First Lady Casey DeSantis, a former Emmy Award winning television host. They are the proud parents of two children, Madison and Mason. They are the youngest family living in the Florida Governor’s Mansion in nearly fifty years.
Former White House Press Secretary
Kayleigh McEnany currently serves as co-host of Outnumbered (weekdays, 12 PM/ET) on FOX News Channel. McEnany also contributes across all of FOX News Media platforms as an on-air commentator. She joined the network in March 2021.
Prior to joining FOX News Channel, McEnany served as White House Press Secretary under former President Donald Trump. She served as White House Press Secretary from April 2020 through the end of former President Trump’s term. Previously, McEnany held the title of national spokesperson for the Republican National Committee before joining the Trump campaign as national press secretary. She got her start in politics as an intern for former Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL) and later, in the White House Office of Media Affairs during President George W. Bush’s administration.
Additionally prior to her role at the White House, McEnany worked as a political analyst at CNN. She has also been a contributor at The Hill and a columnist for Above the Law. She began her career in media as an intern at FOX News, where she later became a production assistant.
An alumna of Harvard Law School, McEnany earned her Juris Doctor in 2016. She also holds a degree in international politics from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Affairs and studied politics and international relations at Oxford University, St. Edmund Hall. In 2018, McEnany authored her first book, The New American Revolution: The Making of a Populist Movement.
Partner, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
Philip litigates complex matters in state and federal courts. He has briefed appeals in multiple U.S. Courts of Appeals, including the Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth Circuits, as well as state appellate courts in Ohio, Kentucky, and Georgia. Philip has also represented amici at both the cert petition and merits stages in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Prior to joining Taft, Philip served as a law clerk for Judge Raymond M. Kethledge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Judge Amul R. Thapar of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Judge Lavenski R. Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Philip serves on the board of directors for the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky lawyers chapters of the Federalist Society. He was a 2018 James Wilson Fellow with the James Wilson Institute, a 2013 John Marshall Fellow with the Claremont Institute Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, and a 2011 Blackstone Fellow with the Alliance Defending Freedom.
Philip received his undergraduate degree, with Highest Honors, from Ouachita Baptist University. He received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served as the submissions review editor for the Journal of Law and Politics.
Partner, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
Philip litigates complex matters in state and federal courts. He has briefed appeals in multiple U.S. Courts of Appeals, including the Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth Circuits, as well as state appellate courts in Ohio, Kentucky, and Georgia. Philip has also represented amici at both the cert petition and merits stages in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Prior to joining Taft, Philip served as a law clerk for Judge Raymond M. Kethledge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Judge Amul R. Thapar of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Judge Lavenski R. Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Philip serves on the board of directors for the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky lawyers chapters of the Federalist Society. He was a 2018 James Wilson Fellow with the James Wilson Institute, a 2013 John Marshall Fellow with the Claremont Institute Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, and a 2011 Blackstone Fellow with the Alliance Defending Freedom.
Philip received his undergraduate degree, with Highest Honors, from Ouachita Baptist University. He received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served as the submissions review editor for the Journal of Law and Politics.
Founder and President, Sunshine Gasoline Distributors
Because of his humble beginnings, Maximo Alvarez has always believed in helping the community, as well as the industry in which he has spent most of his career. Mr. Alvarez has been very involved in the Florida Petroleum Marketers Association and was elected Chairman of the Board in 2000 and inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2005. He has worked closely with the Petroleum Council as a tireless advocate for the industry. He has also received awards for his work in Hope for Vision and the Transplant Foundation. In 2006, Maximo became a trustee of Pedro Pan Group, a non-profit organization for immigrant children. In 2010, he was inducted into the Belmont Abbey Wall of Fame. He later received a doctorate of laws honoris causa from Belmont Abbey in 2015. Mr. Alvarez serves as a trustee for The First Tee, a junior program that sets out to positively impact the lives of young people through the game of golf. In 2016, he was appointed by Rick Scott, the governor of Florida, to serve on the Florida State University Board of Trustees. In addition, he is also serving as chairman of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Florida Consumers’ Council, appointed by the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Adam Putnam. Sunshine Gasoline has been a constant sponsor of Miami Children’s Hospital and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Mr. Alvarez’s biggest dream was recently fulfilled when Centro Hispano Catolico opened its door to over 300 children. The Centro Hispano Catolico is a day care center for under privileged children created in honor of Monsignor Bryan O. Walsh. Mr. Alvarez is a strong believer in the philosophy that every new generation must be better than the last. This philosophy is carried out by his legacy of generosity that began when he was thirteen years old. Ever grateful of the country that allowed him to be where he is today and proud of his success, he states; “If I were to give back everything I have today, it would only be 10% of what was given to me”.
Former Vice Chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
Kristina Arriaga is a passionate communicator with a storied life. Early on in her career, she orchestrated the rescue of a Cuban woman and her two children, for which she was featured in Vanity Fair and Reader’s Digest. More recently, she visited American Pastor Andrew Brunson in a prison in Turkey where she advocated for his release in Congress, in Turkey, and through the pages of The Wall Street Journal. In her other life, as President and CEO of Intrinsic Communications, she helps her clients elevate their stories in the court of public opinion.
Arriaga also serves with the inaugural group of seven trustees who oversee a newly created Oversight Board, an independent entity that makes biding decisions on content moderation for Meta’s 2.9 billion users. Its 20-member Board includes Judge Michael McConnell (Stanford Law School), Helle Thorning-Schmidt (former prime minister of Denmark), and Tawakkol Karman (first Arab woman to win a Nobel prize), among other notable freedom of expression experts.
Formerly, in 2016, the U.S. Congress appointed her to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, where she was elected Vice Chair for two consecutive terms. During her 3-year tenure, she met with high-ranking government officials to advocate for human rights in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Nigeria, Turkey, and many other countries. In protest over legislation that turned the watchdog agency into a government lapdog, she resigned with an explanatory op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.
Before the Commission, Arriaga was a member of the U.S. delegation to the UN Human Rights Commission and the executive director of a public interest law firm that defends free expression. During her tenure at the law firm, she oversaw several strategic public relations campaigns on landmark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Arriaga is the recipient of the 2017 Newseum Free Expression Award along with Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, ABC’s correspondent Martha Raddatz, and civil rights champion John Lewis.
A sought-after speaker, she has appeared on BBC, MSNBC, C-Span, CNN, and NPR, among many others. She has lectured in numerous universities worldwide. Her 2020 op-ed for USAToday, “My family fled Fidel Castro's Cuba, where 'cancel culture' was deadly serious” went viral. Her recent interviews include an extended feature by Crux entitled: “Cuban Americans cling to both U.S., Cuban identities.”
Justice, Florida Supreme Court
John D. Couriel is the 90th Justice of the Florida Supreme Court. Justice Couriel was born in Miami, Florida in 1978. He is married to Rebecca L. Toonkel, M.D. They have two children.
Justice Couriel received his A.B. magna cum laude from Harvard College in 2000 and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2003. He clerked for the Honorable John D. Bates of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia before joining Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. His practice there included securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy matters, and investigations. In 2009, he became an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. He prosecuted hundreds of federal offenses, including international money laundering, public integrity, healthcare fraud, and human trafficking crimes. In 2013, he joined Kobre & Kim LLP, where he specialized in cross-border disputes and investigations relating to financial products and services, asset recovery, and government enforcement defense, with an emphasis on clients in Latin America.
Justice Couriel is a native speaker of Spanish. His parents emigrated from Cuba in the 1960s, his father as one of approximately 14,000 unaccompanied minors welcomed to the United States as part of Operation Pedro Pan.
He was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Ron DeSantis on June 1, 2020.
Host, Hola Ota-Ola!
Alexander Otaola is a Cuban-American actor, social media influencer, and political activist. Otaola is the host of the web show Hola Ota-Ola!, an informative and satirical program that covers entertainment, news and politics. His show debuted on Cubanos por el Mundo: a cross platform media initiative, website, and YouTube channel that covers politics, news, and celebrity culture in Cuba and the Cuban exile community. Alexander Otaola is a vocal opponent of the communist regime in Cuba denouncing its human rights violations and crimes in all his shows.
Founder, Cuba Decide
Rosa María Payá Acevedo is a Cuban democracy activist and human rights
defender. In 2015, she founded the citizen initiative Cuba Decide, a movement in
favor of changing the political and economic systems in Cuba towards democracy,
through a plebiscite. She is the daughter of the late Oswaldo Payá, the recipient of
the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize and two-time nominee of the Nobel
Peace Prize, who was killed by the regime in 2012. Rosa María is a graduate of
Physics at the University of Havana and of the Global Competitive Leadership
program at Georgetown University. She has been a lecturer and guest of honor at
various universities throughout the United States and Latin America, as well as at
the UN, the Concordia Summit of the Americas, the Freedom Forum, the US
Congress, and multiple parliaments in Europe and the Americas.
In 2020, she was the recipient of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute
(CHLI) Ileana Ros-Lehtinen International Leadership Award for her global advocacy
and leadership. In 2019 she was the winner of the Morris Abram Human Rights
Award granted by UN Watch. She has also been granted the Casa Cuba Award in
Tampa, Florida, and with the Keys of the City of Miami, a city that has established
an annual day in honor of this Cuban activist and that, thanks to the work of Cuba
Decide platform, has declared July 22 as the Day of Victims of Communism in
America. In 2013, she was selected as one of the “25 most powerful women”
according to People en Español magazine.
She is the Honorary President of the Latin American Youth Network for Democracy,
an organization with which she established, in collaboration with the Pan American
Democracy Foundation, the Oswaldo Payá Prize “Libertad y Vida” that, since 2016,
seeks to recognize people and institutions that have made extraordinary
contributions to the defense of democracy.
Her work has made her part of the Global Americans New Generation of Public
Intellectuals initiative in 2018. In recent years, Payá Acevedo has been a
contributor to a number of periodical publications of global relevance, including The
Washington Post and CNN.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States
Carlos Trujillo, Ambassador, Retired, and Partner at Continental Strategy based in Washington, D.C. with offices in Miami, is a prominent Florida attorney and politician with a thorough understanding of Latin American politics and business. He served as United States Ambassador to the Organization of American States (2018-2021), as a member of the Florida House of Representatives (2010-2018) and as Founding Partner of Trujillo, Vargas, Gonzalez and Hevia LLP (2011–2017) and as an Assistant State Attorney in Florida’s 11th Judicial District (2007-2011).
After being appointed by former President Donald J. Trump to serve as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States, Trujillo was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate and served as Ambassador from March 30, 2018 until January 20, 2021. During his time at the OAS, Trujillo served as Chair of the Permanent Council, Budget Committee and the Economic Development Committee. He also led the effort to re-elect Secretary General Luis Almagro.
Trujillo also was appointed by President Trump and served as a Representative of the United States to the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations under former Ambassador Nikki Haley and was nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere. Trujillo, a native Spanish speaker, is known for his strong ties to the Hispanic community, legal acumen and leadership, and has a wealth of knowledge and connections in Latin American politics.
Prior to serving as Ambassador, Trujillo was elected as State Representative for the 105th District in the Florida House of Representatives, where he served in various capacities, including as Chairman of the Florida House Appropriations Committee, he appropriated and oversaw an $83.5 billion dollar budget. He also served as Chair of the Economic Development Subcommittee, and Chair of Criminal Justice Subcommittee.
Trujillo was a Founding Partner of Trujillo, Vargas, Gonzalez and Hevia LLP, based in Coral Gables, Florida. Under his leadership, the firm grew to more than 50 employees and generated over $10 million in annual revenue. Previously, Trujillo served as Assistant State Attorney, Miami Dade County State Attorney’s Office, Miami, Florida (2007–2011) were he served as a training attorney and Felony Prosecutor. Prior to founding Trujillo Vargas, LLP Carlos was an Assistant State Attorney for the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, where he was responsible for felony prosecutions. While working as an Assistant State Attorney, he tried 54 criminal trials, 26 jury trials to verdict and was served as first chair on 20 jury selections. Previously, Carlos was a training attorney in the County Court Division, and also served in the Juvenile Court Division
He currently serves on the Board of Florida International University, as a member and manager of multiple real-estate holding companies in Coral Gables, Florida, and has also served as a Board Member on the Public Health Trust of Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, Florida (2015–2016) and as a member of the Electoral College in 2016.
Trujillo earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama (2004) and a J.D. from Florida State University College of Law, Tallahassee, Florida (2007). He is an active member of the Florida Bar since 2007 and received an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell. He is married to Carmen Maria Mir and they have four children – Carlos, Isabella, Juan Pablo and Felipe.
Founder and President, Sunshine Gasoline Distributors
Because of his humble beginnings, Maximo Alvarez has always believed in helping the community, as well as the industry in which he has spent most of his career. Mr. Alvarez has been very involved in the Florida Petroleum Marketers Association and was elected Chairman of the Board in 2000 and inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2005. He has worked closely with the Petroleum Council as a tireless advocate for the industry. He has also received awards for his work in Hope for Vision and the Transplant Foundation. In 2006, Maximo became a trustee of Pedro Pan Group, a non-profit organization for immigrant children. In 2010, he was inducted into the Belmont Abbey Wall of Fame. He later received a doctorate of laws honoris causa from Belmont Abbey in 2015. Mr. Alvarez serves as a trustee for The First Tee, a junior program that sets out to positively impact the lives of young people through the game of golf. In 2016, he was appointed by Rick Scott, the governor of Florida, to serve on the Florida State University Board of Trustees. In addition, he is also serving as chairman of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Florida Consumers’ Council, appointed by the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Adam Putnam. Sunshine Gasoline has been a constant sponsor of Miami Children’s Hospital and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Mr. Alvarez’s biggest dream was recently fulfilled when Centro Hispano Catolico opened its door to over 300 children. The Centro Hispano Catolico is a day care center for under privileged children created in honor of Monsignor Bryan O. Walsh. Mr. Alvarez is a strong believer in the philosophy that every new generation must be better than the last. This philosophy is carried out by his legacy of generosity that began when he was thirteen years old. Ever grateful of the country that allowed him to be where he is today and proud of his success, he states; “If I were to give back everything I have today, it would only be 10% of what was given to me”.
Former Vice Chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
Kristina Arriaga is a passionate communicator with a storied life. Early on in her career, she orchestrated the rescue of a Cuban woman and her two children, for which she was featured in Vanity Fair and Reader’s Digest. More recently, she visited American Pastor Andrew Brunson in a prison in Turkey where she advocated for his release in Congress, in Turkey, and through the pages of The Wall Street Journal. In her other life, as President and CEO of Intrinsic Communications, she helps her clients elevate their stories in the court of public opinion.
Arriaga also serves with the inaugural group of seven trustees who oversee a newly created Oversight Board, an independent entity that makes biding decisions on content moderation for Meta’s 2.9 billion users. Its 20-member Board includes Judge Michael McConnell (Stanford Law School), Helle Thorning-Schmidt (former prime minister of Denmark), and Tawakkol Karman (first Arab woman to win a Nobel prize), among other notable freedom of expression experts.
Formerly, in 2016, the U.S. Congress appointed her to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, where she was elected Vice Chair for two consecutive terms. During her 3-year tenure, she met with high-ranking government officials to advocate for human rights in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Nigeria, Turkey, and many other countries. In protest over legislation that turned the watchdog agency into a government lapdog, she resigned with an explanatory op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.
Before the Commission, Arriaga was a member of the U.S. delegation to the UN Human Rights Commission and the executive director of a public interest law firm that defends free expression. During her tenure at the law firm, she oversaw several strategic public relations campaigns on landmark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Arriaga is the recipient of the 2017 Newseum Free Expression Award along with Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, ABC’s correspondent Martha Raddatz, and civil rights champion John Lewis.
A sought-after speaker, she has appeared on BBC, MSNBC, C-Span, CNN, and NPR, among many others. She has lectured in numerous universities worldwide. Her 2020 op-ed for USAToday, “My family fled Fidel Castro's Cuba, where 'cancel culture' was deadly serious” went viral. Her recent interviews include an extended feature by Crux entitled: “Cuban Americans cling to both U.S., Cuban identities.”
Justice, Florida Supreme Court
John D. Couriel is the 90th Justice of the Florida Supreme Court. Justice Couriel was born in Miami, Florida in 1978. He is married to Rebecca L. Toonkel, M.D. They have two children.
Justice Couriel received his A.B. magna cum laude from Harvard College in 2000 and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2003. He clerked for the Honorable John D. Bates of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia before joining Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. His practice there included securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy matters, and investigations. In 2009, he became an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. He prosecuted hundreds of federal offenses, including international money laundering, public integrity, healthcare fraud, and human trafficking crimes. In 2013, he joined Kobre & Kim LLP, where he specialized in cross-border disputes and investigations relating to financial products and services, asset recovery, and government enforcement defense, with an emphasis on clients in Latin America.
Justice Couriel is a native speaker of Spanish. His parents emigrated from Cuba in the 1960s, his father as one of approximately 14,000 unaccompanied minors welcomed to the United States as part of Operation Pedro Pan.
He was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Ron DeSantis on June 1, 2020.
Host, Hola Ota-Ola!
Alexander Otaola is a Cuban-American actor, social media influencer, and political activist. Otaola is the host of the web show Hola Ota-Ola!, an informative and satirical program that covers entertainment, news and politics. His show debuted on Cubanos por el Mundo: a cross platform media initiative, website, and YouTube channel that covers politics, news, and celebrity culture in Cuba and the Cuban exile community. Alexander Otaola is a vocal opponent of the communist regime in Cuba denouncing its human rights violations and crimes in all his shows.
Founder, Cuba Decide
Rosa María Payá Acevedo is a Cuban democracy activist and human rights
defender. In 2015, she founded the citizen initiative Cuba Decide, a movement in
favor of changing the political and economic systems in Cuba towards democracy,
through a plebiscite. She is the daughter of the late Oswaldo Payá, the recipient of
the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize and two-time nominee of the Nobel
Peace Prize, who was killed by the regime in 2012. Rosa María is a graduate of
Physics at the University of Havana and of the Global Competitive Leadership
program at Georgetown University. She has been a lecturer and guest of honor at
various universities throughout the United States and Latin America, as well as at
the UN, the Concordia Summit of the Americas, the Freedom Forum, the US
Congress, and multiple parliaments in Europe and the Americas.
In 2020, she was the recipient of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute
(CHLI) Ileana Ros-Lehtinen International Leadership Award for her global advocacy
and leadership. In 2019 she was the winner of the Morris Abram Human Rights
Award granted by UN Watch. She has also been granted the Casa Cuba Award in
Tampa, Florida, and with the Keys of the City of Miami, a city that has established
an annual day in honor of this Cuban activist and that, thanks to the work of Cuba
Decide platform, has declared July 22 as the Day of Victims of Communism in
America. In 2013, she was selected as one of the “25 most powerful women”
according to People en Español magazine.
She is the Honorary President of the Latin American Youth Network for Democracy,
an organization with which she established, in collaboration with the Pan American
Democracy Foundation, the Oswaldo Payá Prize “Libertad y Vida” that, since 2016,
seeks to recognize people and institutions that have made extraordinary
contributions to the defense of democracy.
Her work has made her part of the Global Americans New Generation of Public
Intellectuals initiative in 2018. In recent years, Payá Acevedo has been a
contributor to a number of periodical publications of global relevance, including The
Washington Post and CNN.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States
Carlos Trujillo, Ambassador, Retired, and Partner at Continental Strategy based in Washington, D.C. with offices in Miami, is a prominent Florida attorney and politician with a thorough understanding of Latin American politics and business. He served as United States Ambassador to the Organization of American States (2018-2021), as a member of the Florida House of Representatives (2010-2018) and as Founding Partner of Trujillo, Vargas, Gonzalez and Hevia LLP (2011–2017) and as an Assistant State Attorney in Florida’s 11th Judicial District (2007-2011).
After being appointed by former President Donald J. Trump to serve as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States, Trujillo was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate and served as Ambassador from March 30, 2018 until January 20, 2021. During his time at the OAS, Trujillo served as Chair of the Permanent Council, Budget Committee and the Economic Development Committee. He also led the effort to re-elect Secretary General Luis Almagro.
Trujillo also was appointed by President Trump and served as a Representative of the United States to the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations under former Ambassador Nikki Haley and was nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere. Trujillo, a native Spanish speaker, is known for his strong ties to the Hispanic community, legal acumen and leadership, and has a wealth of knowledge and connections in Latin American politics.
Prior to serving as Ambassador, Trujillo was elected as State Representative for the 105th District in the Florida House of Representatives, where he served in various capacities, including as Chairman of the Florida House Appropriations Committee, he appropriated and oversaw an $83.5 billion dollar budget. He also served as Chair of the Economic Development Subcommittee, and Chair of Criminal Justice Subcommittee.
Trujillo was a Founding Partner of Trujillo, Vargas, Gonzalez and Hevia LLP, based in Coral Gables, Florida. Under his leadership, the firm grew to more than 50 employees and generated over $10 million in annual revenue. Previously, Trujillo served as Assistant State Attorney, Miami Dade County State Attorney’s Office, Miami, Florida (2007–2011) were he served as a training attorney and Felony Prosecutor. Prior to founding Trujillo Vargas, LLP Carlos was an Assistant State Attorney for the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, where he was responsible for felony prosecutions. While working as an Assistant State Attorney, he tried 54 criminal trials, 26 jury trials to verdict and was served as first chair on 20 jury selections. Previously, Carlos was a training attorney in the County Court Division, and also served in the Juvenile Court Division
He currently serves on the Board of Florida International University, as a member and manager of multiple real-estate holding companies in Coral Gables, Florida, and has also served as a Board Member on the Public Health Trust of Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, Florida (2015–2016) and as a member of the Electoral College in 2016.
Trujillo earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama (2004) and a J.D. from Florida State University College of Law, Tallahassee, Florida (2007). He is an active member of the Florida Bar since 2007 and received an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell. He is married to Carmen Maria Mir and they have four children – Carlos, Isabella, Juan Pablo and Felipe.
Professor of Law, South Texas College of Law Houston
Josh Blackman is a national thought leader on constitutional law and the United States Supreme Court. Josh’s work was quoted during two presidential impeachment trials. He has testified before Congress and advises federal and state lawmakers. Josh regularly appears on TV, including NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, and the BBC. Josh is also a frequent guest on NPR and other syndicated radio programs. He has published commentaries in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and leading national publications.
Since 2012, Josh has served as a professor at the South Texas College of Law Houston. He holds the Centennial Chair of Constitutional Law. Josh is an Adjunct Fellow at the Manhattan Institute. Josh has written more than seven dozen law review articles that have been cited more than a thousand times. Josh was selected as the Jurist of the Year by the Texas Journal of Law & Public Policy, received the inaugural Meese III Originalism Award, and was awarded the Inaugural Joseph Story Award. Josh was selected by Forbes Magazine for the “30 Under 30” in Law and Policy. Josh is the President of the Harlan Institute, and founded FantasySCOTUS, the Internet’s Premier Supreme Court Fantasy League. He blogs at the Volokh Conspiracyand posts@JoshMBlackman.
Thomas M. Siebel Senior Fellow, The Hoover Institution, Stanford University; Gary T. Schwartz Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus, UCLA School of Law
Eugene Volokh is the Thomas M. Siebel Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution (Stanford), as well as the Gary T. Schwartz Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus and Distinguished Research Professor at UCLA School of Law. He recently retired from teaching at UCLA, after 30 years there, and is now focusing on research.
Volokh is the author of the textbooks The First Amendment and Related Statutes (8th ed. 2023), and Academic Legal Writing (5th ed. 2016), as well as over 100 academic law journal articles, mostly on First Amendment law. He is a member of The American Law Institute; the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Free Speech Law; and the creator and coauthor of The Volokh Conspiracy, a leading legal blog founded in 2002 (hosted at the Washington Post from 2014 to 2017 and now at Reason Magazine).
Vice President and Director of Litigation, EdChoice
Thomas M. Fisher served as a Deputy Attorney General for 22 years and as Indiana’s first Solicitor General from 2005-2023. In that role he handled high profile litigation for the State, defended state statutes against constitutional attack, advised the Attorney General on a range of legal policy issues, and managed the State’s U.S. Supreme Court docket. A two-time recipient of the National Association of Attorneys General Best Brief Award, Fisher has argued five times before the High Court.
His U.S. Supreme Court experience also includes authorship of dozens of cert-stage and merits-stage amicus curiae briefs on a wide range of issues. In addition, Fisher has argued dozens of important and high-profile cases before both the Indiana Supreme Court and the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Fisher is a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and was recently named a Sagamore of the Wabash by Governor Eric Holcomb.
A native Hoosier, Fisher is a graduate of Wabash College and Indiana University Maurer School of Law, where he serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law.
Partner, Ashbrook Byrne Kresge Flowers LLC
Ben Flowers, a partner at Ashbrook Byrne Kresge Flowers LLC, is an accomplished litigator with experience briefing, arguing, and winning high-stakes cases in courts throughout the country.
Before joining the law firm, Ben served as Ohio's 10th Solicitor General. In that role he regularly represented the State of Ohio before the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of Ohio. Most prominently, in National Federation of Independent Business v. Department of Labor, Ben led a multi-state challenge to OSHA's vaccine mandate, ultimately prevailing before the Supreme Court.
Ben is a graduate of The Ohio State University and the University of Chicago Law School. Following law school, Ben clerked for Judge Sandra Ikuta of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and for Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court of this United States. Ben lives in Upper Arlington, Ohio with his wife Denise and their three very active children.
Partner, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Brian J. Paul is an appellate lawyer and leads law teams in high-stakes commercial litigation. He has briefed and argued everything from weighty abstract constitutional issues to dollars-and-cents business issues and everything in-between, both on appeal and in trial courts around the country. A member of the American Law Institute, recent past-president of the Seventh Circuit Bar Association and top-tier ranked Chambers appellate lawyer, Brian had one client say about him: “Brian is one of the most respected and skilled appellate lawyers, not only in Indianapolis but across the country. He is trusted to deliver timely guidance on complex issues.” Another said: “He is excellent. I enjoyed working with him. He is able to put things into layman’s terms and explains things really well. His written and oral advocacy are short, crisp and to the point.”
Clients hire Brian to digest the complex, and make the complex simple and compelling for busy, generalist judges. In his writing, he strives to cut through jargon and legalese, and distill things down to what’s important. In his oral advocacy, by intense preparation, he strives to be the advocate whom judges trust for the right answers. In the dozens of cases he has argued, Brian has helped clients win on both sides of the “v.” His recent representations include:
Partner, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Andrei Iancu is a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell and one of the leading voices in intellectual property law and innovation policy. He is a former Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), a position to which he was confirmed unanimously by the Senate. Andrei has decades of experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in IP matters across the technical and scientific spectra, including medical devices, genetic testing, therapeutics, the Internet, telephony, TV broadcasting, video game systems and computer peripherals. He represents clients in litigation and trials before the district courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission and the USPTO, the Federal Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court, and also counsels clients on obtaining, licensing, enforcing and defending against IP rights globally.
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