Event Recap: Brazil- Something More Than Samba

Samba to Strategy: Prioritizing Portuguese to Grow Georgia’s Brazilian Trade and Education Ties

July 10, 2025
Consulate General of Brazil — Third Floor Conference Area

Brazil is known for samba, a rhythm blending European and African lineages, making this continental country a unique melange of culture and creativity.

But it’s much more than that, and business leaders made the case at Atlanta Global Studies Center’s Samba to Strategy event July 10 that its potential for trade and investment has been largely overlooked — at least in Atlanta and the Southeast U.S.

Now, with a 50 percent tariff targeted at the country, Brazil’s relationship with the United States and its opportunities for investors are in acute focus.

Beyond being a country of 210 million, Brazil is an agricultural and industrial giant, a world leader in sustainable energy and factory automation.

Enhancing educational focus on Brazil and instruction in the Portuguese language, expert speakers said, is the key to driving future engagements and unlocking deeper trade and investment ties.

A panel of educators kicked off the event, exploring critical thinking in the age of artificial intelligence, how well master’s programs are preparing their graduates for the modern workforce, and the need to boost study-abroad programs from the U.S. to Brazil.

Along with panels focused on education nd business, the event featured a samba and guitar performance by music educator Luiz “Pepe” Barcellos and Brazilian delectables from Minas Grill and Emporium, a stalwart of the Brazilian culinary scene in metro Atlanta. The Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce Southeast provided organizational and promotional support, bringing Brazilian business owners and multinational members alike to the event.

Presented By:

With Organizing Support From:

Organized By:

Education Panel

MODERATOR:

PANELISTS:

Evaristo F. Doria,
Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University

Dr. Salomao De Farias
Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University

Clinical Associate Professor, IIB. Dr. De Farias is a professor of Marketing and International Business and holds a Doctor degree from the School of Economics and Business, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He has teaching experience in Brazil, in the Netherlands and in the United States. He was a Fullbright scholar in resident at and Central Piedmont Community College in North Carolina. His academic activities include coordinating the business graduate program at the university of Pernambuco (Ph.D. and MBA programs), member on the Marketing scientific committee for the Brazilian Academy of Management Meeting (ENANPAD), Area Committee member at CNPq federal Brazilian agency, Editor of BAR – Brazilian Administration Review, among others. Dr. De Farias was an exchange student at Vanderbilt University’s School of Management, Visiting Researcher at Auburn University’s College of Business and Georgia State University – Institute of International Business. His prior work experience includes retail, developing executive training programs, designing research projects, study abroad programs and coordinating grant proposals.

“They have to deal with conflict. They have to learn perspective from different cultures that sometimes are more individualist or more collectivist — how they can solve conflict, how they can have different perspectives on the same issue, and how that different perspective can help them to come up with solutions that maybe are better than if you go just in a single direction.”

–On virtual exchanges and study abroad programs undertaken by Georgia State

Dr. Cintia Araujo
FIPECAFI (Brazil)

Cíntia Araujo, Ph.D., holds a doctorate in Management from UNINOVE University (Brazil) and currently serves as an adjunct professor and researcher at the School of Accounting and Actuarial Sciences, Foundation Institute of Accounting, Actuarial and Financial Research (FIPECAFI) in São Paulo. Her teaching and research focus on Diversity and Human Relations Management, Racial Relations in the Workplace, Marketing, and Innovation.

With over 18 years of experience in the corporate sector, Dr. Araujo brings practical insights to her academic work. She previously worked at multinational companies such as Telefónica-Vivo and Accenture, where she led IT projects, managed teams, and specialized in leadership development and coaching.

Dr. Araujo has published in international peer-reviewed journals and presented at high-impact conferences, contributing to global discussions on race relations, diversity and inclusion, project management, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

“Higher education is, in my view, the end line of the whole educational system.

So critical thinking does is not born when I’m 30 only, it starts since the womb.“

–On critical thinking and prioritizing K-12 education in the age of AI

Selma Boaventura
Student, Georgia State University

Selma Boaventura is currently a master’s student in Creative and Innovative Education at Georgia State University. Her work explores the intersection between art, language, and belonging in intercultural contexts. Drawing from her experiences as an immigrant, educator, and psychoanalyst, she investigates how creativity and embodied expression can support transformation, identity reconstruction, and connection across cultures.

Before coming to the U.S., she studied Education at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp) in Brazil and spent fifteen years working in public schools. Selma has always believed that meaningful change begins at the foundation—and that education plays a powerful role in shaping society.

In addition to her work in education, she also trained as a psychoanalyst. Her personal experience as an analysand and studying psychoanalytic theory deepened her understanding of how listening and language shape subjectivity. This led her to develop a practice that integrates psychoanalysis with educational and artistic inquiry.

We talk about a lot about how social power structures shape our inner world, affect us. (As a non-English speaker) I noticed that I have fear of cultural alienation, dependency, of speaking correctly, of not being understood, of going blank, of social disconnection, verbal inadequacy, seeming childish, sound fake, or being judged. And I think everybody that learning a second language feel this. And I started thinking, ‘Why not try to go deeper and to go more deeper and try to understand what is going on?’

–On why she recently created “My Body is My Territory,” a performance that helped express, non-verbally, her cultural roots.

Business Panel

Danila Palmieri
Founder, Connect Solutions

Joe Farach,
Revenue Igniter

Joe Farach is a Cuban-born, U.S.-based executive and consultant with deep roots in Brazil, where he lived as a child and later founded a manufacturing business for an Indian firm. The son of a Brazilian mother, he grew up speaking Portuguese, Spanish, and English—language skills that proved essential in starting the Brazilian company and leading market expansion efforts in Brazil and Latin America. Joe also led Brazilian growth initiatives for global engineering firms such as Black & Veatch and S&B Engineers and Constructors. Throughout his career, he has conducted business in over 45 countries and held leadership roles across Latin America, including Venezuela and Mexico.

Joe holds a BSME from Cal Poly, an MBA from Villanova, a Master’s in Global

Management, and an Executive Program in General Management from Kellogg. A U.S. Navy veteran, Joe served as a submarine officer, bringing discipline and global insight to every engagement.

Leonardo Santos, MJV

Leonardo Santos is an executive with over 20 years of experience in data, integration, and digital transformation, leading large-scale initiatives across Brazil, Latin America, and the United States. Known for aligning technology with business outcomes, he brings a unique blend of strategic vision and deep technical expertise, driving the modernization of data architectures, scaling governance, and enabling value through AI and cloud ecosystems.

Throughout his career, Leonardo has established strong global partnerships with leading platforms, including Informatica, Salesforce, and Snowflake, helping organizations accelerate their journey toward trusted, governed, and actionable data.

His areas of focus include:
• Modern Data Architectures (IDMC, Snowflake, MDM, CDP)
• Scalable Data Governance, Quality, and Privacy
• Cloud Integration & Multicloud Strategies
• Translating Technical Complexity into Business Value
• Strategic Ecosystem & Alliance Building

Leonardo is recognized for his ability to bridge business strategy with execution, empowering companies to turn data into a real competitive advantage.

See their insights:

Trump’s 50 Percent Tariff Threat: A Chance to Bolster Brazil’s Brand in Georgia?

Musical Performance

Pepe Barcellos, Lecturer

Brazilian guitarist, composer, percussionist, and educator Pepe Barcellos from Rio de Janeiro has traveled the world leading Brazilian guitar and percussion workshops, providing interactive experiences for young learners. Barcellos has released two albums of original songs, composed music for film, theater, dance, and animation, and published and presented music education research at major international and national events. Over the last 15 years, he has toured globally, leading Brazilian music workshops in France, Germany, Sweden, Italy, the United Kingdom, Bermuda, and the USA, creating engaging and memorable experiences for students. In May 2023, Barcellos earned a Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning from Georgia State University. He has built a research career, focusing on musical creativity, student voice, and songwriting pedagogy. Currently, he is a Lecturer in Music Education at Penn State University, where he has presented research, shared his teaching practices, and performed at NAfME, MISTEC, GMEA, the Oxford Symposium, ANPPOM, ISME Latin American, and APME.