Erich De La Fuente

Erich de la Fuente is a senior governance and strategic communications expert with over 25 years of experience working in international development with a focus on anti-corruption, access to justice, rule-of-law strengthening, and political risk assessment. He has specialized in designing, implementing, and evaluating projects for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Bank, Transparency International and other international organizations throughout Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. He has also counseled private companies in government and corporate affairs. He is currently a professor of international relations and political science at Florida International University.

Dr, de la Fuente earned a Ph.D. in Governance and Policy Analysis at Maastricht University. He also holds an M.A in Government/Latin American Affairs from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and a B.A. in International Relations from Florida International University. His recently published book is titled: Limiting Media Freedom in Democratic States: How Governments Use Instruments to Curtail News Media Freedom. Dr. de la Fuente is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese and proficient in Italian and Russian.

A firm believer of giving back, Erich dedicates much of his personal time to various nonprofit organizations, including Operation Smile, an international children’s medical charity that performs safe cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries, and Junior Achievement, a global nonprofit organization that offers work readiness, literacy and entrepreneurship programs to students. He regularly volunteers to speak to and counsel high school and college students.