Laura Carlsen is director of the Americas Program of the Center for International Policy and a member of the Mesoamerican Women Human Rights Defenders’ Initiative. Before joining the Americas Program, Carlsen worked in Equipo Pueblo, was a correspondent for Latin Trade magazine, editor of Business Mexico, and a freelance writer. She has been a gender and communications consultant with Just Associates (JASS) and the Nobel Women’s Initiative, and policy consultant and writer for the International Organization for Migrations.

She has published hundreds of articles and chapters on social, economic, and political aspects of Mexico and co-authored Confronting Globalization: Economic integration and popular resistance in Mexico. Her op-eds have been published in Fortune, New York Times, USA Today, Le Monde, and many other publications. She is a columnist for Desinformémonos, Foreign Policy in Focus, and Counterpunch among others, and has appeared on Al Jazeera English, Univisión, Telemundo, BBC, CNN, and numerous television and radio stations. 

She holds a B.A. in Social Thought and Institutions from Stanford University and a Masters in Latin American Studies from Stanford.

Carlsen is a frequent commentator for the Latin America Advisor.