Former White House Special Advisor will lead Latin America practice

July 10, 2017, Washington, DC – Daniel P. Erikson was named Managing Director at Blue Star Strategies, LLC, where he will lead the firm’s Latin America practice representing U.S. corporations across Latin America and the Caribbean and Latin American businesses with interests in the United States.

Erikson has had an outstanding career as a diplomat in the U.S. State Department and the White House, where he served as special advisor for Western Hemisphere Affairs to Vice President Joseph Biden on national security and economic matters related to Mexico, Canada, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. In that capacity, Erikson was a key architect of the U.S.-Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue, U.S.-Caribbean-Central America Energy Summit, and the U.S. strategy for the Northern Triangle of Central America. Before leaving his position in the White House, Erikson assisted in transitioning the new administration and advised Vice President Mike Pence on matters related to Central and South America.

Erikson’s past positions in the U.S. State Department include serving as senior advisor for Western Hemisphere Affairs and senior advisor for Congressional and Inter-Governmental Affairs. In that capacity, he devised and implemented legislative strategies on priority topics related to U.S. policy towards Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and Venezuela, engaged with the U.S. Congress on the annual budget and appropriations process, and served as a member of the State Department's negotiating team that reestablished U.S.-Cuba diplomatic relations. Erikson also organized multiple rounds of the U.S.-China Dialogue on Latin America under the rubric of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. In addition to his U.S. government experience, Erikson previously served as director of Caribbean Programs and senior associate for U.S. policy at the Inter-American Dialogue, the leading Washington, DC-based think-tank focused on Western Hemisphere affairs.

“Dan joins us at just the right time – as we expand our Latin America practice and offer new capabilities for our clients based in, or with interests in the region,” said Karen Tramontano, CEO of Blue Star Strategies. “His deep policy acumen and the partnerships he has built with public and private sector leaders will add tremendous value to the work we are doing with global companies in the U.S. and across Latin America and the Caribbean."

Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Arturo Valenzuela said, “Dan is one of the foremost experts on Latin America in Washington and is respected across the region and on both sides of the political aisle. His new position at Blue Star Strategies will enable him to make a valuable contribution by identifying new opportunities for cooperation that will benefit both the public and private sectors of the Americas.”

Erikson received his Masters in Public Policy with a focus on International Security and Political Economy Studies from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government where he was a Dean’s Fellow. He was a Fulbright Scholar focusing on binational business at the Monterrey Technological Institute in Monterrey, Mexico and he received his B.A. in International Relations from Brown University. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a widely published scholar and author whose 2008 book “The Cuba Wars” won Foreword Magazine’s Gold Prize for Political Science.

Erikson will begin his work at the firm in September.

About Blue Star Strategies, LLC

Blue Star Strategies, LLC is an international strategic consulting, public affairs, and government relations firm, based in Washington, DC with offices in Europe and Latin America serving global clients. Its professionals work across diverse industry sectors representing global corporations, sovereign governments and political leaders, and international organizations to solve their political, public policy, regulatory, investment, and resource challenges in the United States and in emerging markets around the world.

Online at www.bluestarstrategies.com.

Contact:
Gabriella Ippolito
gabriella.ippolito@bluestarstrategies.com
+1 202 833 1281

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