Ambassador McKinley will address how the political and economic landscape of Latin America has changed over the past decade, with an emphasis on challenges and opportunities. He will also examine Latin America’s growing international importance and its relations with the United States.
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Wednesday, February 4, 2026 I 11:00am-1:00pm
* Luncheon Event *
Venue:
Bass Berry & Sims – 21 Platform Way S, Suite 3500, Nashville, TN 37203
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Featured Speaker: Ambassador Michael McKinley
Over the course of his 37-year career in the US State Department, Ambassador McKinley served as US Ambassador to Peru (2007-2010), Colombia (2010-2013), Afghanistan (2014-2016), and Brazil (2017-2018), and closed out his career as senior advisor to the Secretary of State. He helped conclude free trade agreements with Peru and Colombia, as well as key security and economic accords with Brazil. His experience with regional conflicts and peace negotiations over three decades across three continents was central to his work as an ambassador in Colombia and Afghanistan. Ambassador McKinley is currently a Senior Counselor at The Cohen Group consultancy in Washington, DC, and is a non-resident senior adviser at CSIS. His articles on foreign policy have appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Washington Post, Politico, and other publications. He is also the author of a book on colonial Venezuelan history, published by Cambridge University Press, and holds a Master’s and DPhil from Oxford University.
