Invest: Miami 11th Edition to rally regional leaders
Key points:
- • Invest: Miami will bring together top leaders to discuss investment, workforce, AI, and the region’s economic future.
- • More than 350 business and community leaders are expected at the launch of the 11th edition of Invest: Miami.
- • The summit will spotlight the trends and partnerships driving Miami’s next phase of growth.
August 2026 — Miami‘s business and community leaders will gather at the Invest: Miami 11th Edition Leadership Summit on Monday, September 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Miami Dade College. The full-day networking and panel event marks the launch of the 11th edition of caa’s comprehensive report on Miami’s key industries.
Join us at the Invest: Miami 11th Edition Leadership Summit! This premier event brings together hundreds of Miami’s business and regional leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities for businesses and investors. Buy your ticket now!
The conference will bring together top industry and community leaders to discuss the forces shaping Miami’s investment landscape, the evolving demands of the region’s workforce, the future of education in an era defined by artificial intelligence, and Miami’s rise as a hub for global enterprise, sustainable growth, and long-term investment. The event connects key stakeholders across new and traditional sectors to address the primary issues facing the broader Miami community.
“Miami continues to redefine what’s possible for a growing global city,” said caa Founder and CEO Abby Lindenberg. “With this 11th edition of Invest: Miami, we’re bringing together the leaders who are shaping investment, workforce development, and education for the next generation. Their insights will be critical as Miami charts its path forward.”
Registration begins at 8:00 a.m., followed by a networking session accompanied by breakfast ahead of the day’s panel discussions.
The first panel, “Risk, Return, and Reinvention: The collaborative forces driving investment and development across Miami,” will feature Brian Hagan, Florida market president of First American Bank; Cristina Zampieri, senior vice president and CRE officer at Pibank; and Zachary Darrow, chairman and CEO of DarrowEverett LLP. The panel will be moderated by Emily Butler, office managing partner for Miami at CohnReznick.
The second panel, “The New Workforce Playbook: Rethinking workforce readiness in a globally connected city,” will include Mike Allen, president of Barry University; Paul Pavlou, dean of the University of Miami Herbert Business School; Rick Beasley, executive director of CareerSource Miami; and John Gresley, associate dean of finance and innovation at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business. Kevin Grace, executive director of the Miami Learning Experience, will moderate the panel.
The third panel, “Teaching in the Age of AI: Balancing digital learning with social, emotional, and academic growth,” will include Claudiane Moraes, founding principal of Key Point Academy, and Mariandl Hufford, president and head of school at Miami Country Day School. The panel will be moderated by Arvi Balseiro, head of school at The Cushman School.
The fourth panel, “From Miami to Multinational: How South Florida is powering the next generation of global enterprises,” will feature Monica Vazquez, executive vice president and general manager of ABANCA USA; Aliette DelPozo Rodz, office managing partner at Shutts & Bowen LLP; David Roer, tax partner at EisnerAmper; and Pedro Parra, senior executive vice president and chief international banking officer at Amerant Bank. The panel will be moderated by Scott Brandman, managing partner at Baker McKenzie.
Following the fourth panel, guests will break for a lunch and networking session before the afternoon program resumes.
The fifth panel, “Scaling Success: What is behind Miami’s rise as a destination for investment and innovation — and how to keep it going,” will include Michael Cabanas, regional managing director at Fiduciary Trust International; Pantelis Klonaris, head of South Florida business banking at Valley Bank; Jeffrey Taraboulos, managing partner at KSDT; and Jaret Davis, senior vice president and co-managing shareholder of the Miami office of Greenberg Traurig. The panel will be moderated by Oscar Gomez, managing partner and litigation group chair at EPGD Business Law.
The sixth panel, “The Resilience Equation: Balancing opportunity, investment, and sustainability as Miami evolves,” will feature Tom Fitzgerald, president of retail at World Insurance Associates LLC; J.C. de Ona, division president for Southeast Florida at Centennial Bank; Salim Chraibi, CEO of Bluenest Development; Makeda Johnson, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Miami, Inc.; and David Ramos, president of Hotwire Communications. The panel will be moderated by Lauren Deutch, partner at Nelson Mullins.
The day’s programming will culminate in a fireside chat hosted by Lindenberg, featuring Madeline Pumariega, president of Miami Dade College; Juan Carlos Liscano, senior vice president of MIA operations at American Airlines; and Jorge Gonzalez, CEO of City National Bank.
More than 350 high-level guests and officials from across Miami-Dade County are expected to attend the in-person summit. Following the fireside chat, attendees will head to the terrace to close out the day with a DJ, happy hour, salsa performers, awards, and a raffle, before the summit concludes at 7:00 p.m.
Click here to register for a digital copy of the upcoming Invest: Miami publication.
About caa & Invest: Miami
caa is an integrated media platform that produces in-depth business intelligence through its annual print and digital economic reviews, high-impact conferences and events and top-level interviews via its video platform, Invest:Insights.
Invest: Miami is an in-depth economic review of the key issues facing the Miami-Dade economy, featuring the exclusive insights of prominent regional leaders. Invest: Miami is produced with two goals in mind: 1) to provide comprehensive investment knowledge on the region for local, national, and international investors, and 2) to promote the region as a place to invest and do business.
The report conducts a deep dive into the top economic sectors in the region, including technology, real estate and construction, infrastructure, banking and finance, healthcare, education, and tourism. The publication is compiled from insights collected from more than 200 economic leaders, sector insiders, political leaders, and heads of important institutions. It analyzes the leading challenges facing the market and uncovers emerging opportunities for investors, entrepreneurs and innovators.
Invest: Miami is a unique opportunity for the local business community to tell the world, in their own words, why the region is such a dynamic place to do business.
Want more? Read the Invest: Miami report.
