Wilson Center Experts

Eric L. Olson is a senior associate at the Mexico Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC. In this position he oversees the Institute's work on U.S.-Mexico security cooperation and research on organized crime and drug trafficking between the U.S., Mexico, and Central America. Prior to joining the Wilson Center he was a Senior Specialist in the Department for Promotion of Good Governance at the Organization of American States from 2006-2007. He served as the Interim-Director for Government Relations at Amnesty International USA, and was Amnesty's Advocacy Director for the Americas from 2002-2006. Prior to Amnesty, he was the Senior Associate for Mexico, and Economic Policy at the Washington Office on Latin America for eight years. He worked at Augsburg College's Center for Global Education in Cuernavaca, Mexico from 1989-1993 where he was the program director. From 1986-1988, he worked in Honduras, Central America as a development specialist for several local non-governmental organizations.He has testified before the United States Congress on several occasions, appeared in numerous press stories as an expert commentator on human rights, drug policy and organized crime; and has written extensively on U.S.-Mexican relations, democratic and electoral reform in Mexico, U.S. counternarcotics policy, and Colombia.
 

Education

M.A., International Affairs, American University; B.A., History and Secondary Education, Trinity College
 

Experience

Organization of American States, Senior Specialist, Program for Universal Civil Registry in the Americas and Department for Promotion of Good Governance; Amnesty International, Advocacy Director for the Americas; Washington Office On Latin America, Senior Associate for Mexico and Economic Policy, Inter-American Foundation, Foundation Representative; legislative assistant, United States House of Representatives
 

Expertise

U.S.-Mexico relations; U.S.-Latin America relations; Human Rights; Drug Policy; Organized Crime