Ana Maria Salazar is considered one of the most versatile journalists/analyst in Latin America and one of the foremost experts on security issues, US/Latin American relations, and US politics. She has worked and studied in the US, Mexico, Colombia and Guatemala. She has written five books on politics, security and leadership issues and is a popular speaker at business, government and academic forums regarding security, politics and international relations.

Between June 1998 and January 2001, Ms. Salazar served at the Pentagon as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Drug Enforcement Policy and Support. As a result of her efforts at the Pentagon, in 2000 Ms. Salazar was recognized by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the 100 most influential Hispanic Americans in the United States. Prior to joining the Pentagon, Ms. Salazar served at the White House as Policy Advisor for President Clinton’s Special Envoy for the Americas in 1998 and from March 1995 to June 1997, she served in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Ms. Salazar has also worked and lived in Latin America. In Colombia she served as the Judicial Attaché at the United States Embassy in Bogotá, coordinating evidence and information requests between the United States and the relevant Colombian agencies. She also has supervised multi-million-dollar projects designed to improve the administration of justice in Colombia and Guatemala.