John Virtue
Director

Was a foreign correspondent and news executive with the United Press International in Latin America for 17 years, based in Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico.

Before joining FIU in 1989, he was for six years executive editor of the daily El Mundo newspaper in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

He has led workshops on journalism ethics in 16 Latin American countries. He is also the founding publisher of Pulso del periodismo.

email: virtuej@fiu.edu

Mercedes Vigón
Assistant Director

A native of Spain, she launched the Journalism Master's Program with Tec de Monterrey México and trained journalists in Mexico, Nicaragua and Paraguay.

She also worked as a TV news director for Net Financial News, as executive producer and international writer for CBS Telenoticias, and as a journalist with UPI. She is fluent in Spanish, French and English.

email: vigonm@fiu.edu

Mario Diament
Contributing Professor

Founded the first Spanish-Language Journalism master's degree program in the US in 1994, and has trained journalists in Latin America since 1995.

A native Argentinean, he is a veteran foreign correspondent and a former executive editor of one of the leading newspapers in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Diament is also an award-winning playwright and has had plays produced worldwide. He is one of the 40 permanent members of the National Academy of Journalism, to which he was elected in 2000.

email: diamentm@fiu.edu

Has been the face and voice of FIU to the Independent Journalists in Cuba since he started teaching and editing their work at inception of the project in 1999.

He has a Master of Science in Mass Communication from Florida International University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts with a specialization in Latin American studies.

He has taught at FIU and at Miami-Dade Community College and worked as a copy editor at El Nuevo Herald in Miami .

email: dalmauj@fiu.edu

Julie López
Instructor

A native of Guatemala, she is the coordinator of the
Spanish-language Masters degree journalism program at FIU. She is also a
graduate of FIU's Latin America Journalism Program.

Sandra Crucianelli
Instructor

A native of Argentina, prepared the investigative
reporting course for the Cuba project. She has given workshops throughout
Latin America for the IMC and other journalism organizations.

Pilar Vitoria
Instructor

A native of Spain and a longtime resident of San Jose,
where she teaches journalism at the University of Costa Rica. She wrote a
book on radio for the IMC's Latin American Journalism Program and prepared
for the radio course for the Cuba project.

George Arfield
Instructor

He is a corporate communications, public affairs and media
specialist. He is a multi-lingual former Associated Press correspondent and
executive and former Chase Manhattan Bank as manager of European Public
Relations.

The International Media Center also counts on the services of the faculty of
the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.