Dr. Ramon Barquín III was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He is a well-known information technology (IT) business executive and political consultant, who has specialized in the use of IT in government and Economic Development, with over 25 years in C-type level management positions in technology and management consulting companies, as well as being a serial entrepreneur. A former Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Institute for Public Policy & Strategic Studies (Puerto Rico’s first think tank) and the Instituto de Formación Democrática (IFD), a Technology Editor for the San Juan Star, Editor-in-Chief of Mercados & Tendencias, IT Now, LogistiCo, Construir, Computers & BusinessWorld, Industriales Puerto Rico, Computerworld, and PC World Magazines. He has held faculty appointments at the University of Phoenix, Columbia College, Inter-American University, Atlantic University, and the Instituto de Educación Empresarial. Dr. Barquín is the author of numerous management and technical publications and has conducted extensive research on Knowledge Management and C&IT, as enablers for economic development. He has been a contributing editor on electoral education to The San Juan Star, La Semana, El Vocero, and the Virgin Islands Daily News. And, also, is a past member of the Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Board and a former advisor to the Governor of Puerto Rico; Chairman of the Board of Atlantic University, a Science & Technology Hispanic-serving university; President-Elect of the Puerto Rico United Retailers Association (Centro Unido de Detallistas), Puerto Rico’s oldest and largest state chamber of commerce; and Vice-Chair of the National Association of State Latino Chambers of Commerce in the United States of America. Dr. Barquín graduated from Brandeis University with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Politics, Latin American Affairs, and Economics, where he also conducted graduate studies in Politics, and the special programs of Legal Studies and International Relations, as well as a minor in Spanish. He studied Law at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico with a course concentration in International Affairs, an MBA from the University of Phoenix (Arizona) in Global Management, and a Doctorate in Management and Organizational Leadership with a specialization in Information Systems Technology.      

Edgardo Bayó has always been interested in the ocean, being a scuba diver since 11 years old. As a teenager, he became certified in all the scuba levels of the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) including the first Certified Dive Master Class in Puerto Rico.  He later became a NAUI Instructor and Lifeguard Instructor (WSI).  He is also a founding member and instructor staff of La Casa del Buzo in Puerto Rico. His mentors include Wally Barnés, Harry Hauck, (scuba diving), and Gogui Sanjurjo (WSI).  He was part of the team that planted the first artificial reef off Crash Boat Beach in Aguadilla as part of Sea Grant.  Mr. Bayó graduated from the Florida Institute of Technology (now Florida Tech) with a certificate as an Underwater Emergency Medical Technician, an A.Sc. in Underwater Technology, and B.Sc. in Applied Technology.   He was the first Latin American student to graduate from this program.  His undergraduate thesis was on underwater demolition.  This thesis became a required reading in the classroom of the curriculum of the Underwater Technology Program.  During his undergraduate studies, he worked as Assistant Instructor for the Commercial Diving Certificate at the Florida Institute of Technology.  Edgardo also has an Associate in Arts from St. Petersburg Junior College in Florida. He has worked on several major projects in Puerto Rico and Florida, such as Underwater Inspector for SubOceanics Consultant Incorporated for the Submarine Outfall Project in Puerto Rico (this project was the biggest undertaking south of Florida); and he oversaw underwater operations during the construction of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, cable-stayed precast segmental suspension bridge, in Lower Tampa Bay, Florida (this project was the biggest undertaking in the United States due to this new technology).  While working on the bridge construction site, he created artificial habitats for marine animals using construction debris, specifically, for Florida’s stone crabs.  Mr. Edgardo Bayó has specialized commercial diving training in Surface Supplied Diving, Mixed Gas Diving, Decompression Chamber Operations, Helmet Maintenance and Repairs, Underwater Cutting and Welding, Underwater Tools and Hydraulics, and Underwater Operations at Nuclear Plants.  Edgardo also has specialized industrial training in Welding, Machine Shop, Industrial Safety, Engineering Drawing, and Diesel Mechanics.