MIAMI, March 26, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — eMerge Americas has announced today that U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julian Castro will serve as a keynote at the conference, which will take place May 1-5, 2015 in Miami, Florida. Secretary Castro is scheduled to deliver his keynote address on Monday, May 4, 2015.

“It is an honor for us to welcome Secretary Castro as a keynote for the eMerge Americas Conference. His vision and success in positioning San Antonio as a leader in the New Energy Economy and now as the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development makes him an ideal speaker for our eMerge America attendees,” said Manuel D. Medina, Managing Partner of Medina Capital and founder of eMerge Americas.

Now in its second year, eMerge Americas 2015 is expected to attract thousands of attendees, hundreds of top companies and the world’s leading disruptors and thought leaders with the goal of exchanging ideas around technology and innovation. Throughout the five days, the conference will host a variety of exhilarating programs. Key elements on this year’s agenda include:

• Startup Showcase – Entrepreneurs from over 100 start-up incubators/accelerators from Latin America and Europe compete for funding from well-known investors. emergeamericas.org/startups
• Country Pavilions – Participating nations from the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia showcase their local innovations and connect with strategic partners, generate new international leads and become a part of the ever-expanding technological transformation in the Americas.
• Women, Innovation & Technology (WIT) – A one-day summit showcasing top female professionals from different industries discussing how they are transforming the business landscape through technology and innovation. emergeamericas.org/wit
• eGov: Government Innovation Summit – Prominent mayors and government officials from around the globe gather to address the challenges faced by accelerated urbanization and how to transform their urban communities into Smart Cities through the power of innovative technology.

Among the conference’s key elements this year is the eGov – Government Innovation Summit, a two-day private event that gathers prominent government officials from all over the globe to discuss sustainable solutions for the challenges faced by accelerated urbanization. This year’s eGov Innovation Summit will include panel discussions with prominent industry thought leaders focused on smart cities, public private partnerships and sustainability. Confirmed speakers include:

• Manuel Medina – Founder, eMerge Americas
• Carlos Gimenez – Mayor, Miami Dade County
• Catherine Bracy – Director of Community Organizing, Code for America
• Julian Robinson-Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Jamaica
• Emilio Diaz – Executive Vice President, Indra
• Rodolphe El-Khoury – Dean, Miami University School of Architecture
• Carlo Ratti – Director, MIT SENSEable City Lab
• Richard Sear – Global VP, Visionary Innovation, Frost & Sullivan
• Darren Ware – Senior Manager, Global Economics and Research Practice, Cisco

In addition to its featured speakers, the eMerge Americas eGov Summit will welcome a distinguished list of dignitaries and government officials from all over the world, including representatives from Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Guatemala, Haiti, Italy, Jamaica, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mexico, Monaco, Panama, Peru, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, and Uruguay.

About eMerge Americas eMerge Americas serves as the preeminent innovative thought exchange helping transform Miami into the technological hub of the Americas. By connecting global industry leaders and investors with the America’s top business executives, IT decision-makers, and innovative entrepreneurs, new partnerships that will spur visionary innovation and technological advancements in the Americas for the betterment of business and society are being forged. Summits focused on healthcare, entertainment and media, finance, cities, and education address the most pressing issues of today and provide solutions and resources to continue the rapid advances of the 21st century. eMerge Americas Founding Partners are the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Miami-Dade County, Greenberg Traurig, P.A., and Medina Capital. For more information about eMerge Americas, please visit: www.emergeamericas.org.