Rafael Diaz-Balart
Rafael Diaz-Balart has over 30 years experience in international finance and asset management, as well as many years of service to the Miami community.
He is the CEO and Founder of Vestec International Corporation. In the past, he has had executive experience with IBJ Schroder International Bank, Barnett Bank and the National Bank of Washington, D.C. He also served as Consultant to the Office of the Special Advisor to the President of Venezuela and founded InterTrust Bank Limited (Bahamas).
Diaz-Balart’s community involvement is considerable. In addition to serving as President of Global Justice Group, Mr. Diaz-Balart is Chairman of the Miami Symphony Orchestra and is an Honorary Board Member of the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Florida Foundation. He has been active in international trade and commerce development organizations such as the Jay Malina International Trade Consortium of Miami-Dade County, the International Trade Board of the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County’s Sister Cities Program. He was also Chairman of the Board of the Miami Bridge Youth and Family Services.
Rafael-Diaz Balart is the son of the late Dr. Diaz-Balart, a visionary who spent his life fighting for democracy and the liberation of the Cuban people who suffered under the tyranny of the Castro dictatorship. His father also founded the international freedom foundation, La Rosa Blanca, which led the struggle for freedom for Cuba and represented millions of Cuban exiles.
Mr. Diaz-Balart holds a Bachelor of Arts (Government) degree from Cornell University and a Masters of Business Administration from The American University.
Jason McCue
Jason McCue (LLD) has had a career in international affairs (including conflict resolution, humanitarian aid, transitional justice, and state building matters) and as an international lawyer (U.K. Law Society’s lawyer of the year 2010 for his work on human rights and victims in Africa and UK)) specialising in human rights, counterterrorism/rogue regimes, litigation, and transitional justice. He is an internationally renowned expert in ‘lawfare’ and is Senior Partner of McCue Jury & Partners LLP (www.mccue-law.com – an international law firm).
He is a founding partner of Ebro Global (www.ebroglobal.com – a not for profit organisation providing consultancy to governments and INGOs) and Rigel (www.rigelcorporation.com – providing litigation support and consultancy) He has acted as legal and international affairs adviser to numerous heads of state, governments, opposition groups, international bodies (UN and AU) and companies. Among other roles, he has acted as Presidential Envoy for Somaliland; as facilitator to the joint UN/AU Darfur Peace Process; as head of the Libya-UK Victims Reconciliation Group (supported by the U.K. FCDO); and as board member and advisor to numerous charities/NGOs.
He and his law firm are responsible for orchestrating and managing some of the largest victim led justice, human rights, international law, and environmental class actions around the world (including cases against IRA, Hamas, IS, Ghaddafi, Lukashenko and recently representing the victims of Rohingya genocide against Facebook). He recently co-founded the Ukraine Justice Alliance (www.ukrainejusticealliance.com) to provide legal resource to the Ukrainian people, government, and civil society and is head of Ukraine’s Civil Society Lawfare Programme (campaigning at www.payback4ukraine.org ).
William R. "Bill" Wheeler, Jr., ESQ
William R. Wheeler, Jr. is a partner of Wheeler & Franks Law Firm PC with offices in Tupelo, Oxford
and Washington, DC. Mr. Wheeler represents both national and international clients in litigation matters primarily focused on personal injury.
Wheeler & Franks Law Firm PC is one of a team of attorneys and firms retained to represent individuals and families affected by the United States Embassy bombing in Nairobi, Kenya in August
of 1998. The success of this case has established the rights of US victims of terror, including foreign nationals working in service to the US, to hold state sponsors of terrorism accountable in US Court
for their actions.
Bill has served the public in several capacities, including as a Former Member of the Mississippi
House of Representatives (1988-1995), Fellow to the European Parliament (1992), Democratic
Nominee for the Mississippi First Congressional District (1994), Member of Democratic National
Committee (2000-2004), Chairman of Senator John Kerry's Presidential Campaign for Mississippi
(2004), and an Aide to Senator Howell Heflin (D - Alabama) (1984-1986). He is currently the Executive Vice Chair of the Mississippi Democratic Party.
Mr. Wheeler was also appointed by former President Bill Clinton to serve as the Director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency for the Southern United States from 1995 to 1998.
Bill was appointed by the Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives to serve on the Mississippi State Ethics Commission for Government. He severed two four-year terms on the Commission.
Bill is a member of the Mississippi Bar Association, Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association, and
American Association of Justice. Bill is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.