"Innovation is part vision, part stubborness and part luck," stated U.S. Chargé D'Affaires Robin Matthewman in welcoming the organizers and U.S. speakers of this year's Americas Innovation Forum (AIF), held in Montevideo May 24-26. "It [innovation] is the ability to grasp what can be, the capacity to take the same ingredients as everyone else to produce something wonderfully new, and the wisdom to learn from our mistakes," she added. Invitees included government officials and local business community leaders, innovators and educators.

The AIF draws business and government leaders from over 20 countries to discuss the further development of innovation in education, entrepreneurship and technology in the Western Hemisphere. 7 U.S. speakers - Robert Atkinson, Noel Gurwick, Steven Levine, Ron Packard, Steve Phillips, Steve Shaw and Charles Wessner were invited to participate in the 3-day event. Former U.S. Ambassador Frank Baxter, now living in California, also attended. The forum was organized by Uruguay’s National Research and Innovation Agency (ANII).

Robert Atkinson, Charles Wessner, Congressional Staffer Carl Meacham, CDA Robin Matthewman, Yannis Karmis and Raul Mairatta.		Chargé D'Affaires Robin Matthewman and former U.S. Ambassador Frank E. Baxter.

Chargé Matthewman with U.S. speakers Steve Phillips, Robert Atkinson, Charles Wessner and Noel Gurwick.