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Sebastian Arcos

Born in Havana, Cuba, in 1961.  His father and uncle had been active participants in Castro’s revolutionary movement, and briefly held important governmental positions.  They were soon disillusioned by the new regime’s totalitarian nature and became political dissidents.  In 1982, Sebastian spent a year in prison for attempting to leave Cuba illegally.  In 1987 he joined the Cuban Committee for Human Rights (CCPDH), the first independent Cuban human rights organization.  He was finally allowed to leave Cuba for the US in 1992.  For three consecutive years (1995, 1996, 1997) Sebastian was part of the Freedom House delegation to the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland.  He also advised the U.S. Department of State on issues concerning human rights in Cuba between 1998 and 2000.

Sebastian is currently the Associate Director of Development for the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida International University (FIU).  He holds a BA in International Relations (1999) and a Masters in Public Administration (2008), both from Florida International University.