Location: DACOR Bacon House OR Online, 1801 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006
Event Description
Please note this is a hybrid event - you have the option to attend in person or virtually. Registrations are required for all attendees. For in-person attendees, the event will run from 12 - 2 pm and will include lunch. The live stream will begin shortly after 1 pm (virtual attendees will be sent a link for the event via email).
The LAC Luncheon Group will inaugurate its 2024-2025 events cycle with a special presentation by Ambassador Brian Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, and Daniel Erikson, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the NSC, who will offer a "state of the region" overview, highlighting the government's recent achievements and the many challenges that remain ahead.
Daniel P. Erikson serves as the special assistant to the President and senior director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council. Prior to this role, he was the deputy assistant secretary of defense (DASD) for Western Hemisphere Affairs. Erikson previously held the position of managing director at Blue Star Strategies, LLC, where he led the firm’s Latin America practice representing US corporations across Latin America and the Caribbean and Latin American businesses with interests in the United States. He was also a senior fellow at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement.
Previously, Erikson served in the White House as special advisor to the Vice President, where he focused on Western Hemisphere Affairs and covered foreign affairs and national security issues. Erikson helped lead the Obama Administration’s efforts to secure $750 million in assistance for the Northern Triangle of Central America, and to deepen support for Colombia’s peace process. In 2015, Erikson was a member of the State Department negotiating team that re-established US-Cuba diplomatic relations for the first time since 1961. In June 2017, he received the US Department of State’s Superior Honor Award for his diplomatic contributions in Latin America.
In addition to his US government experience, Erikson previously served as director of Caribbean Programs and senior associate for US Policy at the Inter-American Dialogue. A widely published scholar, he is the author of several award-winning books and has contributed chapters to numerous edited volumes.
Brian A. Nichols became Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs on September 15, 2021. Assistant Secretary Nichols previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Zimbabwe from 2018 to 2021. In that role, he promoted democracy, rule of law and human rights in Zimbabwe while managing multi-dimensional humanitarian crises brought on by corruption, climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previously, Assistant Secretary Nichols served as the U.S. Ambassador to Peru from 2014 to 2017. He pioneered strategies against illegal gold mining, illegal logging, wildlife trafficking, and environmental degradation. He supported American trade and investment in Peru, increasing agricultural sales to over $1 billion annually, defending the rights of American investors, and building the Hemisphere’s largest public-private partnership—the U.S.-Peru Cacao Alliance.
Nichols was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) from 2011 to 2013. In that capacity, he oversaw the full range of rule of law programs, counter-narcotics, and multilateral issues managed by the bureau. From 2007 to 2010, he served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Colombia, where he managed day-to-day U.S. diplomatic activities in Colombia including overseeing over $500 million in annual assistance. Nichols led the Office of Caribbean Affairs, coordinating U.S. policy toward 14 Caribbean countries from 2004 to 2007. Prior to that, he served as Political Counselor in Indonesia, as well as tours in Mexico and El Salvador during major democratic transitions. He began his Foreign Service career as a Consular Officer in Peru in 1989.
A native of Providence, Rhode Island, Assistant Secretary Nichols has earned 27 awards during his diplomatic career, including a Presidential Distinguished Service Award, two Presidential Meritorious Service Awards and the Charles E. Cobb, Jr. Award for Initiative and Success in Trade Development.
