María José Espinosa

María José Espinosa is an economist and foreign policy expert specializing in migration, democratic governance, and U.S. engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean. She currently serves as Executive Director of the Center for Engagement and Advocacy in the Americas (CEDA) and as Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for International Policy. Under her leadership, CEDA has expanded its regional work across Latin America and strengthened partnerships with civil society, governments, philanthropic organizations, and multilateral institutions, becoming an important hemispheric voice on migration, diplomacy, and human rights.

María José advises policymakers, multilateral institutions, philanthropic leaders, and civil society actors on migration governance, regional cooperation, and hemispheric policy dynamics. She has led high-level delegations across the Americas connecting decision-makers with on-the-ground realities shaping migration, governance, and regional stability. Her analysis and commentary have been featured in international media outlets including the BBC, CNN, The New York Times, and El País, and she is the author and co-author of multiple policy reports on Latin America and the Caribbean.

She serves on the board of the Miami Freedom Project for Democracy and was recognized by New America as one of the 2020 Latino National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders. She completed executive education in Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management at Harvard Business School and holds an M.Sc. in Environmental Economics and Tourism from the Universitat de les Illes Balears (Spain), an M.Sc. in Economics from the University of Havana, and a B.A. in Economics from the same university.