Jessi Calzado-Esponda

Jessi Calzado-Esponda
Delegate for District of Columbia
Resettled Refugee from Cuba

Jessi Calzado-Esponda is the Refugee Congress Honorary Delegate for the District of Columbia. At the age of 7, she became a political refugee after being placed in a raft that was headed to America. In the blink of an eye, Jessi lost all contact with her immediate family (mom, dad, brother) and her beloved Cuba.

Jessi has experience interning for Congresswoman Kathy Castor and later working as a full-time staffer for another member of the U.S. Congress. In 2012, Jessi suffered a traumatic brain injury after being hit by a driver who was on the wrong side of the road. She left Congress for rehabilitation and moved on to a new professional focus.

She now serves as Chief Executive Officer of Cuba Inspires, a company that arranges VIP events and cultural exchanges in Cuba, with efforts to further support the transitioning Cuban society. Within a few weeks of opening her doors, she helped clients such as the Kardashian family to navigate Cuba, and arranged historic collaboration between the daughter of President Castro (Mariela Castro-Espin) and several U.S. civil rights LGBT activists.

Jessi has a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from the University of South Florida.

In the News:

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