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Wilson Center Names Benjamin Gedan Director of Latin American Program

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Ryan McKenna
Phone: (202) 691-4217
ryan.mckenna@wilsoncenter.org

February 2, 2023

 

WASHINGTON–The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars announces today that Benjamin Gedan, PhD will serve as the Director of its Latin American Program.

“Benjamin is known for his thoughtful leadership in Latin American studies. As our new director, I’m excited to see the program reach new heights,” said Wilson Center President and CEO Ambassador Mark Andrew Green.

“This is a perilous moment for Latin America, as the region struggles to preserve its democratic institutions, recover from a decade of economic stagnation, and protect its biodiversity,” Gedan said. “Those challenges directly impact the United States, as is clear from the unprecedented migration crisis. The need for new policy solutions makes the work of the Wilson Center’s Latin American Program more urgent than ever. The region also presents important opportunities, including to expand renewable energy production, and to incorporate Latin America and the Caribbean into US supply chains.”

Gedan serves as an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University. He is a former South America director on the National Security Council at the White House. Previously, Gedan oversaw diplomatic activities for Honduras and Argentina at the US Department of State, and covered Central America and the Caribbean as an international economist at the US Department of the Treasury.

As a journalist, Gedan reported for The Boston Globe,The Miami Herald, and other publications. He served as a Fulbright scholar in Uruguay, and earned a PhD in foreign affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where he also received a Master’s in international economics and Latin American studies. Gedan graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor’s in international relations.

The Latin American Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s leading non-partisan forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital connector between the worlds of scholarship and action.

Related Program

Latin America Program

The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action.  Read more