Jorge A. Plasencia is co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Republica Havas, one of America’s leading creative, media, and communications agencies. Since launching the agency in 2006, he has provided strategic, brand, communications, and growth counsel to Fortune 500 and blue-chip companies. One of Inc. magazine’s fastest-growing companies in America, Republica joined forces with Havas Group, a subsidiary of Paris-based Vivendi, in 2018. Since its founding, the agency grew to become the No. 1 U.S. independent multicultural agency and was named an Agency of the Year and a Top Place to Work.
Prior to Republica, Jorge was corporate vice president and operating manager of Univision Radio, where he played a leading role in the integration and cross-platform opportunities of Univision’s television, radio, and digital properties. Earlier, he held the position of vice president of marketing, corporate communications, and public affairs. Before Univision, Jorge was vice president at Estefan Enterprises, Inc., where he was responsible for corporate business strategy, marketing, and communications, and worked on the business affairs and management of several international artists, including Gloria Estefan and Shakira.
Prior to Estefan Enterprises, Jorge was the first director of Hispanic marketing for the Florida Marlins. During his tenure, the Marlins won their first World Series and were awarded the Hispanic Marketer of the Year Award from the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.
Throughout his career, Jorge has played a leading role in the production of numerous marquee events, including “The Last Goodbye,” a 9/11 memorial at the White House; Super Bowl XXXIII; 1997 World Series; Shakira’s MTV Unplugged; the inaugural Latin Grammy Awards; and the “Queen of Salsa” Celia Cruz’s historic funeral, among others.
Named one of the world’s foremost communications leaders by PRWeek, and one of the most influential U.S. Hispanics by Poder, Jorge served as board chair of UnidosUS (formerly the National Council of La Raza – NCLR), the nation’s largest Hispanic advocacy organization. He is the first Cuban-American, first Floridian, and youngest person to hold the post.
At age 17, Jorge co-founded Amigos For Kids, a Miami-based nonprofit organization serving underprivileged children and families — an institution that he has since nurtured to national prominence. He is chairman emeritus of Amigos For Kids, and his lifelong work within the organization earned him the March of Dimes Humanitarian of the Year Award, among others.
A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Florida Council of 100, Jorge was nominated by President George W. Bush — and confirmed by the U.S. Senate — to serve on the advisory board of the Broadcasting Board of Governors’ OCB. Jorge currently serves on the board of trustees of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, the Board of Directors of the Friends of the American Latino Museum and on Miami-Dade County’s Cultural Affairs Council. He previously served on the board of directors of TotalBank.
He has received numerous business and entrepreneurial accolades, including Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, CEO of the Year by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and Ultimate CEO by the South Florida Business Journal. An inductee into the Miami Dade College Hall of Fame, Jorge earned a bachelor’s degree with honors from Barry University, and completed the Advanced Management Education Program from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Luis Casamayor has more than 20 years experience in integrated marketing, advertising, and design, and has led Republica Havas to earn numerous national and international creative awards.
Before co-founding our agency in 2006, Luis was the president of Cosmyk, a design and creative agency he first started in 1994 as a graphic design studio. By 2001, the company had evolved into a full-service marketing agency offering additional services such as broadcast advertising, media and interactive. He built Cosmyk into one of the premier Miami-based creative agencies, acclaimed for its breakthrough campaigns.
Over the years, Luis has provided clients with fresh thinking, dedication and a true understanding of business objectives. His deep relationships with creative partners in all relevant areas, including multimedia production, film, printing, and photography as well as event marketing allow the agency’s award-winning campaigns to be executed at the highest level.
Named a Global Agency Innovator by The Internationalist, Luis’ passion for his clients comes to life in Republica Havas’ award-winning work for many brands, including Walmart, Toyota, Google, Baptist Health, Universal Orlando Resort, BankUnited, NBCUniversal and the Gates Foundation, to name a few.
Luis has served as a judge for numerous creative competitions, including the Media Mind Rich Media Awards in New York City. He serves as the advisory board member of the Florida International University (FIU) College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts, and also as a member of Civic Nation’s Creative Alliance, the Art Directors Club, and the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA).
Anthony has held leadership roles at several of Madison Avenue’s top marketing and communications agencies. Before Republica Havas, Anthony was Managing Partner of New York City’s Naked Communications, where he worked with major brands, including ABSOLUT, Virgin Atlantic, eBay, and Mount Gay Rum.
Previously, Anthony was Managing Director of Berlin Cameron, a WPP agency. He held several management roles there during his 14-year tenure, and his clients included Coca-Cola, Reebok, LVMH, Comcast, ING Direct, Condé Nast, Boost Mobile, Heineken Light, Stolichnaya Vodka, Samsung, and Vitaminwater, among others.
Before Berlin Cameron, he was also in New York with Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal & Partners, where he worked on key clients, including Target, Tommy Hilfiger, Citi, Dom Pérignon, and Moët. He began his career as an art director for The Magellan Group, a direct marketing firm based in Rowayton, Connecticut.
A graduate of Keene State College, Anthony became the youngest member of the North American World Cup Snowboard Team in 1989 — sponsored simultaneously by Oakley, Life’s A Beach brand, and LOOK snowboards.
With more than 15 years experience as an award-winning brand strategist, Melissa heads up Republica Havas’ brand strategy, planning, media, and analytics departments. In this role, she seeks to leverage audience insights in our client’s marketing and communications programs to ensure that brands remain relevant, creative resonates with the target, and that the communications cut through the clutter. Through traditional or nontraditional consumer research, she uncovers attitudes, beliefs, and opportunities to integrate into the creative development process.
Before joining Republica Havas, Melissa was a Director of Account Planning at Razorfish. At Razorfish, she helped establish the account planning discipline and led the consumer and brand insight development for clients including for AT&T, JCPenney, Bridgestone Tires, Burt’s Bees, and Carnival Cruise Lines. Before Razorfish, Melissa was a senior brand planner for McCann Worldgroup where she developed branding and communications campaigns for national and global brands including Coca-Cola, The Island of Aruba, Durex and Johnston & Murphy. During her time at McCann, Melissa was selected to work in the McCann Erickson Mexico City office to assist in reestablishing its brand planning department. While there, she drove insights and strategic positioning for clients such as MasterCard Latin America, Nestle, Cadbury/Schweppes and Chevrolet.
Melissa is a RIVA certified focus group moderator (Research in Values and Attitudes) and has extensive training from the Creative Problem Solving Institute including Facilitating the Osborne-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process and Developing Facilitative Leadership. She holds a B.A. from Davidson College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish.
As Senior Vice President & Head of Client Services, Arlene brings over 20 years of experience in client services and cross-functional marketing, including oversight of both internal and external creative teams through strategy, development, and execution of communications plans for both multinational agencies, and internally at Fortune 500 companies.
She has held leadership roles at agencies in New York City, Buenos Aires, and Miami including Leo Burnett, Ogilvy, Y&R, and The Story Room. Her clients have included American Express, Marriott Hotels, Netflix, Revlon, The Food Network, BBC, and PlayStation, to name a few.
On the client side, Arlene served as director of marketing for Visa from 2007 to 2015 where she led all strategy, marketing, communications efforts for ten countries throughout Latin America.
She is the recipient of numerous industry awards including Festival of Media Gold Award, PORTADA Award, and an EFFIE award. The New Jersey native began her career in New York after completing her Bachelor’s degree in English & Communications from Rutgers University.
With over 15 years of experience, Jason has helped lead local, national, and global creative campaigns earning D&AD and One Show Pencils, ANDY, Clio, LIA, and Cannes Lions awards throughout his career. He has applied his passion for creativity at industry-leading agencies including Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Deutsch LA, TBWA\Chiat, and DAVID The Agency before joining Republica Havas as Executive Creative Director in 2019. He has a deep love for understanding how things work both inside and outside of the agency world and believes that diversity plays a key role in creativity.
Lori Sundermier is a hands-on leader with two decades of experience in finance, accounting, and administrative operations. She is a downright wizard at creating efficient financial infrastructure and her energetic personality is almost as legendary as her problem-solving skills.
After graduating from FSU, she began her career in finance at Estefan Enterprises where she excelled through the ranks in the fast-paced world of entertainment and hospitality – all while earning her MBA at Florida Atlantic University. She then took her skills to the electric arena of Event Entertainment where she oversaw finance, budgeting, and risk management for world-renown events such as the Ultra Music Festival.
Most recently, Lori was VP of Finance & Administration for Innovative Group, where she used her mega talent to build their in-house accounting department, overseeing everything from payroll and HR to policies and procedures. Her skills were also used onsite at events including the Riptide Music Festival (2016-2019) and Super Bowl Live 2020 – to name a few.
Gustavo has more than 20 years experience in the areas of broadcast, print, events, and experiential production. As Vice President, Production & Operations, he is responsible for all agency operations, including project management, traffic and studio, as well as managing and executing all production initiatives.
Prior to joining our team in 2012 as production director, Gus was Print Production Manager at SapientNitro, where he helped execute successful internal events including the company’s presence at SXSW, IEX and Cannes Lions. In addition to events, he oversaw print production and project management for Sapient globally, working with numerous clients such as Celebrity Cruises, Citi, Burger King, Network Solutions, ConAgra Foods, Kaplan College, and HondaJet.
Maria Rosa Collazo is an integrated communications and CSR expert who leads and implements impactful initiatives using a multidisciplinary 360 approach that prioritizes the most effective touch-points of the audience and the brand, as well as the importance of KPIs and ROI considerations. Working with both nonprofits and corporate organizations, she specializes in creating and developing strategic partnerships and efforts consistent with the social mission and/or business purpose.
In her leadership roles, she has been known for consistently leading high-effective teams to meet and excel goals. Her client portfolio includes Toyota, AARP, and NBCUniversal Telemundo, among others. Standing out for her expertise in multicultural initiatives, Collazo has gained recognition for maximizing growth and identifying key market opportunities for clients. Several campaigns that she conceptualized and spearheaded have won accolades in the industry, including Gold Stevie Awards for Multicultural Communications/PR Campaign of the Year, a Silver Stevie Award for Corporate Responsibility, PR Week Awards Best in Multicultural Marketing, and a Bronze Anvil Award for Best Sponsorship Activations and Strategic Partnerships.
A native of Puerto Rico, Collazo earned a master’s degree in global strategic communications from Florida International University and a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Puerto Rico. She has also co-authored academic research in communications.
As Director, Talent & Culture, Christina brings more than 20 years of knowledge and experience in Human Resources. She instrumentally supports Republica Havas’ success by managing employee relations, engaging in training and development, promoting the strong values of our work culture, and overseeing recruitment of new talent.
A native of South Florida, Christina grew up on Key Biscayne and then went on to South Carolina where she graduated from Clemson University with a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Business Administration. After graduation, Christina moved to New York City where she began her career in Human Resources at several agencies, including EURO RSG and D’Arcy Advertising. She later returned home to Miami, where she most recently worked at JMS, and previously with Eileen Haubenstock & Associates, a top advertising and marketing recruitment firm.
Da Costa is a seasoned media planning and buying professional with over 20 years of experience working with an array of major brands. Before joining Republica Havas, she was an associate media director at Publicis Sapient. She has also worked at full-service agencies and media companies in New York City and Miami, including Universal McCann, Carat, Wing, Zimmerman, and Crispin Porter Bogusky. Throughout her career, she’s led media efforts for many clients, including Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Orange Theory Fitness, Goya Foods, Ideal Image, and others. Da Costa received a master’s degree in sociology from Florida International University and a bachelor’s degree in advertising from the University of Florida.
Natalie was born in Miami and raised on cafecitos. After graduating from Florida State University, she found herself in the concrete jungle of New York.
Starting her career in account management, she helped produce 360-campaigns for brands such as Visa, Sprint, Uber, Sony, AB-InBev, Brighthouse Financial, to name a few.
Among her proudest accomplishments is helping plan and execute BBH’s annual Griffin Farley’s Beautiful Minds – a hybrid planning bootcamp and networking event.
At BBH, she also dipped her toes in new biz – a role with many late nights and many successes that quickly became one of her passions.
After a decade, she finds herself back in sunny Miami as Director of Marketing and Business Development at Republica Havas, helping shape culture and growth.
