Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Daniel Chavez Moran: International Solutions


Daniel Chavez Moran founded the non-profit Vidanta Foundation to generate and spread awareness of the factors determining the gap in political, economic and social development that holds Latin America back from achieving the standards of economic growth and welfare that characterizes developed countries.

Under the leadership of its president Dr. Roberto Russell and an international advisory committee, the Vidanta Foundation continues Chavez Moran’s vision of actively influencing public policies that strengthen democracy and promote economic and social development in Latin America. Positive international relations and integration of the region in the global economy are integral to that vision as highlighted by the Foundation’s recent endeavors:  

·         The Vidanta Foundation assisted in funding the workshop, "Scholars, Practitioners, and Inter-American Relations," directed by Prof. Abraham Lowenthal of the Center for International Studies at the University of Southern California. The project was also sponsored by the Center for International Studies, the Office of Globalization, and the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of the University of Southern California, as well as the United Nations Program for Development and the International Development Research Centre of Canada.

·         The Vidanta Foundation, along with Inter-American Dialogue, provided financing for the "La Construcción de la Gobernabilidad Democrática" project, coordinated by Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, and by Jorge Dominguez from Harvard University. Their results were presented at an international seminar in Washington, D.C.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Daniel Chavez Moran Congratulates Dr. Roberto Russell

Daniel Chavez Moran congratulates Dr. Roberto Russell, president of the Vidanta Foundation, on  his recent appointment to the Advisory Board of the Latin American Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

The Woodrow Wilson Center, a living memorial to the 28th president of the United States, is a non-partisan, non-profit organization in Washington, D.C., committed to addressing current and emerging challenges confronting the United States and the world. The Center provides a neutral forum for advanced research and open and informed dialogue on issues of public policy. The Latin American Program at the Wilson Center sponsors research, conferences, and publications aimed at deepening the understanding of Latin American and Caribbean politics, history, economics, culture, and U.S.-Latin American relations.

Dr. Russell’s impressive educational background includes a Ph.D. in International Relations, from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, in Washington, D.C., and a Master of Social Sciences degree, with specialization in Political Science, from the Latin American School of Social Sciences, in Buenos Aires.

The Wilson Center is one of the many international institutions associated with the Vidanta Foundation, founded by Chavez Moran and where Dr. Russell serves as president.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Daniel Chavez Moran Unveils New Vidanta Foundation Website

Bold graphics and a clean, easy-to-read format are just some of the features of the recently redesigned website for the Vidanta Foundation, the non-profit institution founded by Daniel Jesus Chavez Moran and headed by the internationally recognized Dr. Roberto Russell.

The primary mission of the Vidanta Foundation is the promotion of social sciences and culture to the benefit of all with a special interest in academia and policymaking. The Foundation is entirely self-financed with resources contributed by the member shareholders of the companies comprising the Grupo Vidanta. Founded by Chavez Moran as the Daniel Chavez Moran Foundation, then renamed the Grupo Mayan Foundation, in 2005, the institution adopted the name Grupo Vidanta Foundation in 2008, since simplified to the Vidanta Foundation.

The newly launched website includes the latest updates on the projects, seminars and publications sponsored by the Foundation and produced through a partnership with international organizations and institutions of higher learning throughout the Americas, including the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in the United States.

New social media tools, such as Facebook and Twitter, provide readers with up-to-the-minute reports on Vidanta Foundation activities, including the imminent May 31, 2011, deadline for the 2011 Vidanta Foundation Prize. Awarded annually, in  collaboration with the Organization of American States Secretary General, the Vidanta Foundation Prize recognizes and supports outstanding work carried out in Latin America and the Caribbean to reduce poverty and inequality, and combat discrimination.

Information from Daniel Chavez Moran on the 2010 first prize winner.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Daniel Chavez Moran: Globalization and Latin America

Daniel Chavez Moran and the Vidanta Foundation cosponsored a study of the challenges and opportunities faced by the nations of Latin America in the 21st century global economy, along with the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Questions posed by the study, one of many supporting scholarship and international relations,  supporting scholarship and international relations included:
  • What is the explanation for Latin America’s position within the international system and what are the opportunities and challenges posed by globalization?
  • Why, in spite of high international reserves and an improved fiscal situation, does Latin America continue to lag behind other regions?
  • How is Latin American integration forged and defined by factors such as:
    • The paralysis of sub-regional integration paralysis,
    • The increasing gap between North and South Latin America,
    • The interests of extra-regional players such as China and the European Union,
    • The different strategies to handle U.S. relations,
    • The competition for or lack of leadership, domestic and foreign problems influencing regional security,
    • The resurgence of energy as an hemispheric priority,
    • And the role of poverty and inequality in the Latin American international agenda?
The thoughts of prominent analysts and scholars with expertise in Latin American international relations were compiled in “América Latina:integración o fragmentación?” edited by Ricardo Lagos and published by Editorial Edhasa (Buenos Aires). For more information on the scholarly publications supported by Daniel Chavez Moran and the Vidanta Foundation, visit: http://www.fundacionvidanta.org.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Daniel Chavez Moran: Overcoming Challenges

Daniel Chavez Moran is dedicated to helping the countries of Latin America meet the business and economic challenges of this century. His work with the Grupo Vidanta Foundation is possible because of his three decades of business success before his 2005 retirement.

That success did not come without challenges. In 2008, a case was brought against Daniel Chavez Moran and Grupo Mayan Palace, one of the first luxury resorts he founded in 1974. Daniel Chavez Moran successfully defended the integrity of his business practices and the quality of his customer service. A U.S. federal district judge agreed with Chavez Moran, dismissing in its entirety the plaintiff’s case against Daniel Chavez Moran, Grupo Mayan Palace and the other vindicated defendants, Desarollo Marina Vallarta S.A. de C.V., Daniel Omar Chavez, Scott R Erikson, Casey Jon Owens, Canamere Inc., Huffsmith-Kohrville Inc., Preferred Vacations Inc., Premium Travel Services Inc., Resort Solutions Inc., Seven Oceans US Inc., AZM Marketing LLC, Resort Quality Controls Inc., Resort Condominiums International LLC, and Resorts International Marketing Corp.

The judge ruled that the customer’s rights were protected in Grupo Mayan Palace’s contracts, and the vacation ownership purchase decision was entirely at the customer’s discretion. With the challenge successfully defeated, the plaintiff filed no appeal. No other case has since been filed against Chavez Moran or Grupo Mayan Palace, now known as Mayan Resorts.

Mayan Resorts features over 20 top leisure developments in Latin America designed to meet the unique vacation needs of its members and users. Daniel Chavez Moran now focuses his time and energy pursuing the philanthropic goals of Fundación Delia Moran A.C. and the Grupo Vidanta Foundation.