WILLIAM J. PERRY CENTER - Key Persons
Arturo C. Sotomayor is a Professor at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies at the National Defense University (NDU), in Washington, DC.
His areas of interest include civil-military relations in Latin America; UN peacekeeping participation by South American countries; Latin American comparative foreign policy, and nuclear policy in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. His research analyzes the impact of international socialization, militarization, and denuclearization in three areas: 1) military operations other than war (MOOTW); 2) trans-national and border security; and 3) regional non-proliferation strategies. The unifying thread that runs through his research and writing is the interaction between studies on civil-military relations and international security, and research on the conditions and requirements for domestic order and regional stability in Latin America. His publications have appeared in Security Studies, International Peacekeeping, International Studies Perspectives, Journal of Latin American Politics and Society, Nonproliferation Review, Small Wars and Insurgencies, Global Responsibility to Protect, Foreign Affairs, and other edited volumes. His volume The Myth of the Democratic Peacekeeper: Civil-Military Relations and the United Nations (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014) was the winner of the 2015 Luciano Tomassini Latin American International Relations Book Award, presented by the Latin American Studies Association (LASA). He is the co-editor of American Crossings: Border Politics in the Western Hemisphere (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015), Mexico's Security Failure: Collapse into Criminal Violence (Routledge, 2012), and El mundo desde México: Ensayos de política internacional (El Colegio de Mexico, 2008).
Before joining the NDU faculty in 2023, Sotomayor was Associate Professor of International Affairs and Director of the Security Policy Studies MA Program in the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, from 2018 to 2023. He also served as Associate Professor of Political Science and Program Coordinator for Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), from 2015 to 2018. Likewise, between 2009 and 2015, Sotomayor was Associate Professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Sotomayor began his academic career in Mexico City, when he was appointed Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas CIDE, in Mexico, between 2004 and 2007.
Sotomayor has also been a research fellow and program coordinator at multiple academic institutions, including Mexico Policy Research Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Center for Inter-American Policy Research (CIPR) at Tulane University, and Academic Coordinator of the UTSA Mellon Humanities Pathways Program, which received generous funding from the Andrew Mellon Foundation. He currently serves as a Non-Resident Affiliate Faculty of the Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute at George Washington University.
His research agenda has been funded by multiple agencies and institutions, including the Ford Foundation, the Defense Threat Assessment Agency (DTRA) at the Department of Defense, the Minerva Research Initiative, the Fulbright-Garcia Robles scholarship program, and the Elliott School of International Affairs Dean's Research Fund.
In 2014 Sotomayor was the recipient of the LCDR David L. Williams Outstanding Professor Award, presented by the Naval Postgraduate School. He was also the recipient of the 2003-2004 Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) Dissertation Award. In 2021, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), in partnership with the Diversity in National Security Network, included Sotomayor in its top 50 US National Security and Foreign Affairs Leadership List for his commitment to diversity and inclusion efforts in security studies.
Sotomayor received his MA, MPhil, and PhD in political science from Columbia University and a BA in international relations from the Technological Autonomous Institute of Mexico (ITAM).
Job Titles:
- Director of Strategic Communication at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies
Darla Jordan currently serves as Director of Strategic Communication at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies. In this role, she leads strategic communication efforts to advance the Center's mission and works collaboratively to promote a greater understanding of international security issues and US regional policy. Darla joined the Center in May 2020.
Darla is a former diplomat, specializing in Western Hemisphere issues, analysis, and engagement. She directed programs and staff at the US embassies in Nicaragua, Cuba and Haiti, and at the State Department in Washington, DC, where she worked for 12 years. During that time, she served a one-year term as the Department's representative to the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations where she evaluated foreign policy priorities and provided oversight of foreign affairs activities and budgets.
Darla is the recipient of a Joint Meritorious Civilian Service Award from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a State Department Franklin Award for exemplary leadership, and five State Department Meritorious Honor Awards. She served on the board of the Hispanic Employees Council of Foreign Affairs Agencies; was featured in "Latinas at the Department of State: Trailblazers of American Foreign Policy," by Latina Style magazine, and is an alumna of the Aspen Institute International Career Advancement Program and the Truman Congressional Security Scholars Program.
Job Titles:
- Professor of National Security Affairs at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies
- Retired
Dr. Boris Saavedra is a retired Venezuelan Air Force General Officer, having served in all operational positions in that service. He has devoted more than 30 years of his professional life to academic activities, both in Venezuela and the US, ranging from flight instructor and professor to Director of the Armed Forces Basic School and Commander of the Air Defense Command in Venezuela.
Dr. Saavedra is a graduate of the Venezuelan Air Force Academy, where he received a bachelor's degree in Science and Military Arts, with an emphasis in Aeronautics. He successfully completed all courses and specializations in air operations as a combat pilot. He graduated from the higher Military Studies course at the Ecole Supérieure de Guerre Interarmées of France (1983-1986) and the Higher National Defense Course at the Institute of Higher Studies in National Defense of Venezuela (1988-1989). In addition to his doctorate from the Gutiérrez Mellado Institute at the National Distance Education University in Spain (2014) he has an MA in International Policy and Practice from George Washington University in the United States (2003). In his area of specialization, Peace and International Security, he has co-authored several books and articles in journals in Spain, England, Colombia, Chile, the United States and Venezuela on civil-military relations in Latin America, public and private security, transnational crime, terrorism, cybersecurity, and strategic planning and military capabilities.
Dr. Saavedra is currently a professor of National Security Affairs at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, located at National Defense University in Washington, DC. He is the program manager for emerging digital technology and cybersecurity. Before assuming this position, Dr. Saavedra was the Chief of Academics at the Inter-American Defense College in Washington, DC (1996-1998). In Venezuela, his last position was Director of the Secretariat at the Ministry of National Defense (1994-95).
Dr. David Spencer is a professor at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies. From 2014 to 2017 he was in detail as the Colombia/South America desk officer at the Office of the Secretary of Defense Counternarcotics & Global Threats. He also served from 2011 to 2012 as the Colombia Policy Director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense Western Hemisphere Affairs.
Dr. Spencer earned his doctorate in Political Science from George Washington University in 2002 where he studied Latin American Politics, specializing in regional insurgency and terrorism. He earned his MA and BA (both in International Relations) from Brigham Young University in 1992 and 1988 respectively.
Before accepting his current position at the Perry Center, Dr. Spencer was Director of Combating Terrorism at Hicks & Associates. In this position, he supported several USOUTHCOM projects. For the last 15 years, he has worked in a variety of positions in Support of Plan Colombia. He spent five years in El Salvador as a consultant to the Ministry of Defense during the recent civil war.
Dr. Spencer has worked for a number of think-tanks and consulting firms, such as the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA) and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). Dr. Spencer was raised in Latin America, living in Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, and Guatemala. Dr. Spencer served in the U.S. Army and National Guard as an Infantryman. He attained the rank of Sergeant and was mobilized for the First Gulf War in 1990-1991. In June 2011, he published the study Colombia's Road to Recovery: Security and Governance 1982-2010. He was awarded the Exceptional Public Service Medal in 2013. He is a military history and archaeology buff.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Practice at the William
Dr. Erin K. McFee is a Professor of Practice at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies at the National Defense University where she focuses on climate security, migration, and the reintegration of formerly armed actors (FAA) (e.g., military veterans, ex-guerrillas, former cartel members, ex-insurgents). Dr. McFee is a political anthropologist who has published and been interviewed in a wide range of peer-reviewed, popular, and practitioner fora in over 20 countries. Her work in the domain of climate security addresses the climate change, conflict, and migration (CCM) nexus, especially with regards of FAA reintegration, stabilization, and security-building initiatives.
Dr. McFee has additionally conducted extensive fieldwork among formerly armed actors since 2010 and worked directly in all sectors that impact the trajectories of these individuals' lives. Her work ranges from spending 15 months living together with former conflict victims and guerrilla group members in Colombia to consulting for the International Agency for Migration (IOM) on al Shabaab reintegration in Somalia; from conducting ethnographic research and life history interviews among former Cartel affiliates in Mexico to assessing non-governmental organizations supporting former gang members in El Salvador; and from supporting restorative initiatives for justice-involved military veterans in the United States to understanding the life histories and current needs of Afghan National Army Special Forces veterans following the US withdrawal from their country, among many others. She currently has projects in 12 countries on the intersection of FAA reintegration, climate security, and migration.
Dr. McFee has worked in all sectors on these issues (public, private, grassroots, academia, and international development) and is the Founder and President of the Corioli Institute. She received her Doctorate and Master's in Comparative Human Development from The University of Chicago, a Master's in Business Administration from Simmons College, and several Executive Certificates in Climate Change (Harvard Kennedy School), Leadership and Leading Change (Harvard Kennedy School), and Conflict and Fragility Management (Geneva Graduate Institute).
Job Titles:
- Professor of International Security
Dr. Luis Bitencourt is a Professor of International Security. Prior to rejoining the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in August 2020, he was a consultant professor for the Global Defense Reform Program-sponsored Defense Education Cooperation Program between the Perry Center and Brazil's Escola Superior de Guerra. He was also a Visiting Professor at the Brazilian Navy War College and a Visiting Professor, for over 25 years, at Georgetown University. From June 2005 to November 2017, he was a Professor, Dean of Academic Affairs, and Deputy Director at the Perry Center. Prior to joining the Perry Center, Dr. Bitencourt was respectively a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and the Director of the Brazil Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Dr. Bitencourt has dedicated his entire professional life to adult education in both the public and the private sectors. While working for the Brazilian federal government, he performed several functions related to research and training in strategic planning, international security, public administration, and Congressional intelligence oversight. At the Catholic University of Brasilia, Dr. Bitencourt was a professor and dean of the Social Sciences College for over a decade. He also worked for the United Nations as a Regional Coordinator in East Timor, as a member of the Electoral Team of Experts in Tajikistan, and as a rapporteur for the "Responsibility to Protect" initiative with the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty.
Dr. Bitencourt holds a doctorate degree and an MA in World Politics from the Catholic University of America and an MA in Political Science from the Universidade de Brasília. His bachelor's degree is in mathematics. Besides hemispheric security, his research interests include strategic planning, defense governance, international trade, and business, marketing, innovation, and leadership in times of globalization
His previous service in the Navy included tours in a United Kingdom-based NATO position, on board a destroyer deployed to the Asia-Pacific region, and as an instructor at the US Naval Academy, where he taught Spanish and Latin American politics courses. During his naval career, Angelo deployed to Colombia on three occasions over the course of more than a decade.
He was directly responsible for the planning of inter-agency missions focused on improving local governance, rule of law, and security in support of Plan Colombia.
In 2022, President Biden appointed Angelo to the US Naval Academy Board of Visitors in Annapolis, Maryland. He continues to serve as a Commander in the US Navy Reserve. Angelo's written commentary has appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Miami Herald. He is also the author of From Peril to Partnership: US Security Assistance and the Bid to Stabilize Colombia and Mexico (Oxford University Press, 2024).
Angelo holds a BS in political science (with honors) from the US Naval Academy, where he was awarded the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, an MPhil in Latin American studies (with distinction) from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar, and a PhD in politics from University College London. In 2022, the Guatemalan government awarded Angelo the "Monja Blanca" (White Nun Orchid) medal (second class) for meritorious service in support of the Guatemalan people.
Job Titles:
- Co - Editor
- Dean of Academic Affairs
Dr. Scott D. Tollefson received his Ph.D. in International Relations from The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He has an M.A. in Hispanic Civilization from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He taught in the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School (1988-1999), where he also served as Associate Chairman for Academic Administration, Associate Chairman for Instruction, and Coordinator for Western Hemisphere Regional Security Studies. At NPS he received the Commendation for Excellence in Teaching. During this period he was also an Adjunct Professor at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS), Graduate School of International Policy Studies. He was the Director of the M.A. Program in Political Science at Kansas State University (1999-2004), where he served as a member of the Truman Scholarship Committee. From 2004 to 2010 he worked for the Saudi Aramco Oil Company, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, as an educator and curriculum developer. Since 2010 Dr. Tollefson has been a Professor in the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies and has served as Associate Dean of Academic Affairs (2012-2015) and Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs (2015-present). In 2013 he received the Director's Award for Superior Service. Over the years Dr. Tollefson has attended professional conferences in Argentina, Bahrain, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Egypt, El Salvador, Greece, Jamaica, Jordan, Mexico, Peru, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, and the United States.
Previously, Dr. Tollefson was a Visiting Researcher at the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) in Santiago, Chile (1993-1994); a Visiting Researcher at the Universidade de Brasília, Brazil (1987); and a Visiting Scholar at the Instituto Universitário de Pesquisas do Rio de Janeiro (IUPERJ), Brazil (1986). He was a recipient of an Andrew Mellon Foundation grant to conduct research in the Caribbean (1984).
Dr. Tollefson is the co-editor (with Thomas C. Bruneau) of Who Guards the Guardians and How: Democratic Civil-Military Relations (University of Texas Press, 2006), which received the Choice Outstanding Academic Title. He is also the co-author (with Bruneau) of "Civil-Military Relations in Brazil: A Reassessment" in the Journal of Politics in Latin America (2014). He is the author of numerous chapters and articles on defense and security issues in Latin America, Brazil's international relations, and civil-military relations. Dr. Tollefson grew up in Brazil, has lived and worked in Chile, Jamaica, and Saudi Arabia, and is fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Godnick, William (editor). "COVID, Crime and Climate Change in the Caribbean: Perspectives from the Participants of the Caribbean Defense and Security Course (CDSC) 2021." Perry Center Occasional Paper. William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies. March 2022.
Job Titles:
- Public Affairs Specialist
Job Titles:
- Chief of Operations and Student Affairs
Maria Fernanda Martinez currently serves as Chief of Operations and Student Affairs at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies. Ms. Martinez joined the Perry Center in April 2011 and has previously served as an Operations Coordinator and Protocol Officer.
Prior to joining the Perry Center, Ms. Martinez worked at the Inter-American Defense Board and Inter-American Defense College as Protocol Coordinator from 2005-2011.
Born and raised in Cartago, Colombia, Ms. Martinez holds a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics from the Catholic University of Manizales, Colombia.
Her most notable awards include the Inter-American Defense Board Medal with one gold star and the "Faith in the Cause" Medal of the General Command of the Colombian Military Forces.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant to the Director
Job Titles:
- Fellow for Climate Security Studies at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies
Max Nathanson is a Fellow for Climate Security Studies at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies at the National Defense University. Through ACT1Federal, Max assists the Perry Center with numerous climate initiatives including support to SOUTHCOM, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Perry Center's CCIDS (Climate Change and Implications for Defense and Security) in-residence executive course. His work in the domain of climate security examines the integration of climate change concerns into US national security policy, with focuses on migration, humanitarian assistance, decarbonization, and sustainable economic development.
Max is a PhD candidate at the University of Oxford, affiliated with the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment and St. Antony's College. He is also a visiting researcher at Harvard University's Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability. He is supervised by Professor Cameron Hepburn, Professor Diane Davis, and Dr. Ben Franta, and his research has been generously supported by a Rotary International Global Grant, the Oxford Smith School, and the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.
Max's previous experience includes managing economic development and future of work policy for Colorado Governor Jared Polis, where he was a core member of the Governor's COVID-19 response team, and as a policy advisor at Co-Equal, working with US congressional staff on legislative affairs and congressional oversight. He is also the founder of the Oxford Urbanists, a global urban development social enterprise, and is passionate about community development and environmental protection in his home state of Colorado.
Max holds an MPhil in international development from Oxford, and a bachelor's degree, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, in political science from the University of Colorado, where he was a Norlin Scholar.
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean for Research
Patrick Paterson is the Associate Dean for Research and Publications at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies. A 1989 graduate of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, he retired from the Navy as a Commander in 2009. His last assignment was as the Political-Military Advisor on the Fourth Fleet staff in Mayport, FL. He completed his PhD in Conflict Resolution at Nova Southeastern University where his research focuses on negotiations with military institutions during post-conflict transitions to democracy. He has a master's degree in national security studies from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, a master's equivalent from the Argentina Naval War College in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and a master's degree in political science from the American University in Washington, DC.
He is the author of four books and numerous defense and security-related articles in journals such as The Journal of Military Ethics, Military Review, Armed Forces Journal, Proceedings Magazine, Joint Force Quarterly, Naval History, The Journal of International Affairs, and Security and Defense Studies Review. His latest book, The Blurred Battlefield (JSOU Press, 2021), addresses the need for hybrid doctrines on the use of force for Latin American militaries combating violent crime groups. His principal areas of expertise include civil-military relations, human rights, rule of law, international humanitarian law, and US and Latin American history.
Job Titles:
- Chief of Staff
- Deputy Director
- Deputy Director and Chief of Staff of the William
Ruben Lopez currently serves as the Deputy Director and Chief of Staff of the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies. He assumed this position in May 2023.
Prior to the Perry Center, Ruben worked in private industry as an engineering manager. In this role he supported the Department of Energy in the management, retrieval, and treatment of legacy radioactive and hazardous waste at the Hanford Nuclear reservation.
His previous service in the Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer included sea tours deploying to the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Ashore he has held multiple staff and command tours.
Mr. Lopez continues to serve as an officer in the US Navy Reserve, supporting US Naval Forces Southern Command as the Commanding Officer of the Naval Coordination and Guidance of Shipping unit.
Mr. Lopez holds a BS in aerospace engineering from the US Naval Academy, and master's degree in business administration from the University of Puerto Rico. He is a licensed professional engineer. Mr. Lopez completed his Joint Professional Military Education Phase I from the Naval War College and is a graduate of the Joint and Combined Warfighting School from the Joint Forces Staff College.
Job Titles:
- Outreach and Alumni Coordinator