Daniel P. Erikson is the Head of the Latin America Practice at Covington & Burling LLP, where he advises global clients on political and economic risk and commercial diplomacy in the Americas. He serves concurrently as a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, where he focuses on defense and security issues in the Western Hemisphere. His past government positions include Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Western Hemisphere at the U.S. Department of Defense, Special Advisor in the Office of the Vice President, and Senior Advisor for Policy in the State Department’s Bureau for Western Hemisphere Affairs. His past non-governmental positions include Managing Director at Blue Star Strategies, LLC, Senior Fellow at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, Professiorial Lecturer at the John Hopkins' School for Advanced International Studies, and Senior Associate and Program Director at the Inter-American Dialogue think tank in Washington, D.C. In recognition of his contributions to regional security, he has received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service, the U.S. State Department’s Superior Honor Award, and the Inter-American Defense Board medal.