Speaker biographies

Paul J. Bonicelli was confirmed by the Senate on May 25, 2007, as assistant administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Prior to this appointment, Mr. Bonicelli served since October 2005 as deputy assistant administrator for the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance at USAID. As such, Mr. Bonicelli was responsible for USAID’s democracy and governance programs and chaired the State Department’s Governing Justly and Democratically interagency committee for the director of foreign assistance. Mr. Bonicelli’s previous government service includes working as a professional staff member for the International Relations Committee of the House of Representatives. Mr. Bonicelli also served intermittently as a consultant to the Department of Labor’s Bureau for International Labor Affairs, and, in 2001 and 2002, he was tapped by the White House to serve as a private sector delegate to the United Nations, where his task was to advocate for the Bush administration’s policies. Before joining the Bush administration at USAID, Mr. Bonicelli served for six years as dean of academic affairs and associate professor of government at Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Virginia. Previous academic service includes serving as assistant professor of political science at Grove City College in Pennsylvania.

George S. Dunlop serves as the principal policy and legislative adviser to the assistant secretary of the Army (Civil Works) and supports the assistant secretary in providing policy and performance oversight for the Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works directorate. He provides direction for the Army Civil Works legislative program and the development and articulation of the Department of the Army’s policies affecting Civil Works activities, and he is responsible for the coordination of the Army’s policies and practices in support of the Clean Water Act, the Rivers and Harbors Act, and related regulatory programs. Prior to joining the Bush administration in November 2001, Mr. Dunlop was a business executive involved in natural resources and information technology enterprises, serving as CEO for Century Communications, Inc., and chairman of MicroBanx Systems, LLC. Previously, Mr. Dunlop served as president of the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association, assistant secretary of agriculture for natural resources and environment in the Reagan administration, and chief of staff for the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

Daniel P. Erikson is senior associate for U.S. policy and director of Caribbean
programs at the Inter-American Dialogue, where his work focuses on U.S. foreign policy challenges in the region. His articles have appeared in The Brown Journal of World Affairs, Cuba in Transition, Current History, the Journal of Democracy, the Los Angeles Times, the Miami Herald, The National Interest, SAIS Review, the Washington Post, and World Policy Journal. He is coeditor of Transforming Socialist Economies: Lessons for Cuba and Beyond (Palgrave MacMillan, 2005). Mr. Erikson frequently speaks on radio and television and is often cited by U.S. and international press. His past positions include research associate at Harvard Business School and Fulbright scholar in U.S.-Mexican business relations.

Kirsten D. Madison became deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs in February 2006. Her portfolio includes a broad range of issues regarding U.S. policy toward Cuba and the countries of Central America. At the time of her appointment, she had served as director for Central American and Caribbean Basin affairs at the National Security Council since August 2003. Ms. Madison previously served in 2003 in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs as senior adviser to the assistant secretary. In 2002, she was senior adviser to César Gaviria during his tenure as secretary general of the Organization of American States. From 1992 to 2002, Ms. Madison worked as a congressional staffer. Initially, she handled foreign affairs and national security issues in the office of Representative Porter Goss, where she also served as legislative director. Moving to the Senate, Ms. Madison was a senior professional staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff of Senator Jesse Helms.

Roger F. Noriega is a visiting fellow at AEI, coordinating the Institute’s program on Western Hemisphere issues. Twice appointed by President George W. Bush (and confirmed by the Senate) and with a ten-year career on Capitol Hill, Mr. Noriega’s breadth of experience offers strategic vision and practical insight on the Americas. As assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, Mr. Noriega managed a three-thousand-person team of professionals in Washington, D.C., and fifty diplomatic posts to design and implement political and economic strategies in Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. As U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), Mr. Noriega coordinated complex and sensitive multilateral diplomacy in a thirty-four-member international organization to bolster OAS efforts to promote trade, fight illicit drugs, and defend democracy. Mr. Noriega has held various other positions, including senior policy adviser with the U.S. mission to the OAS, many program management and public affairs positions with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Department of State, press secretary and foreign policy adviser for former representative Robert Whittaker (R-Kans.), and research assistant for the secretary of state of Kansas.

Marc Wachtenheim directs the Cuba Development Initiative (CDI) at the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), overseeing a multi-million dollar development program. CDI brings together hemispheric leaders to implement strategies in collaboration with the Cuban people to advance their democratic, economic, and social development by joining international financial resources with Cuba’s human resources. PADF empowers disadvantaged people and communities in Latin America and the Caribbean to achieve sustainable economic and social progress and strengthen their communities and civil society, thereby advancing the principles of the Organization of American States. Mr. Wachtenheim has traveled extensively in Cuba and has spoken publicly about his experiences at various international and domestic forums, including the United Nations, the U.S. Congress, the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy, the International Committee for Democracy in Cuba, the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, America’s Future Foundation, and the Nassau Institute, among others.

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