As President, Dr. Hernandez is responsible for the development and implementation of numerous programs that deal with issues such as human rights, refugee resettlement, the publishing of scholarly studies on Cuba today and the future reconstruction of a free Cuba. His activities include contact with the various branches of the U.S. government, foreign governments, the media, international organizations and voluntary agencies, universities and the Cuban exile community.

Dr. Hernandez was born and raised in Cuba. He studied engineering at the University of Havana until 1960, when he went into political exile, joining the Brigade 2506 and participating in the Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961. As a result, he served two years as a political prisoner in Castro’s jails until 1963, when he was freed and returned to exile in the United States as part of an agreement between the U.S. and Cuba. That year, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps and later served in the Marine active reserve until 1972, when he retired with the rank of Captain.

Dr. Hernandez’s education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida (1966), a Master of Science degree in Economics from Duke University (1967), and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Florida (1969).

Since 1972, Dr. Hernandez has established various businesses and corporations in the field of agriculture and construction, ranging from animal feed supplies to technical and consulting services.

He has been active in the cause of freedom and democracy for Cuba for over forty years and is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Cuban American National Foundation.