On-Site Staff for La Habana, Cuba

The La Habana program has a Resident Director (RD) who is responsible for the overall operations of the program. Together with the Program Assistant and on-site Program Coordinator, they are responsible for student housing, hiring top-level faculty, organizing field trips and optional tours, and overseeing student well-being and safety. They also meet the group flight at the airport and provide an on-site orientation.

Meet the Resident Director

Sebastian Bombi, a native of Uruguay, is the RD for the La Habana, Cuba and Montevideo, Uruguay programs. He has worked for USAC since 2003 as part of the program staff in Costa Rica. In 2013 he became the RD for Cuba before also becoming the RD for Uruguay. Sebastian is based permanently in Montevideo and splits his time between Uruguay and Cuba when Summer and January programs are in session. Sebastian holds a Masters of Business Administration from Universidad Castro Carazo in Costa Rica.

Program Assistant

In the Summer Session, the La Habana staff is joined by Program Assistant, Orlando Santana. Orlando has worked for USAC since 2013 and holds a Masters degree in Telecommunications from the Technological University of Havana (CUJAE), La Habana, Cuba. He is based full-time in Montevideo during the academic year and travels with the group to La Habana during the summer session.

Program Coordinator

Dr. José A. Matos, a Cuban native, is the on-site Program Coordinator and a professor for the La Habana program's Latin American People and Cultures Class. His Ph.D. is in philosophy and he is currently a full-time professor and researcher at Universidad de La Habana, where he conducts important research in ethnology. He has been invited as a visiting lecturer to several universities in Latin America. He is a member of the Scientific Board of Directors of Casa de África.