Professional Affiliation

Former Executive Director, Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission

Expert Bio

Mary Speck is an expert on Latin American politics and governance. She has lived and worked throughout the region as an analyst, reporter, and researcher. She was a Senior Associate (non-resident) with the Center for Strategic and International Studies and directed the International Crisis Group’s Mexico and Central America Project, conducting research into organized crime, corruption, and security sector reform. Before joining Crisis Group, she worked as a journalist, covering the Andean region as a correspondent for the Miami Herald and reporting freelance from Central and South America. Speck holds a PhD in history from Stanford University and a BA from Bryn Mawr College.