About the fellowship
The Rio Bravo Congressional Fellowship is a non-partisan program that connects US Congressional staffers, Mexican legislators, and Atlantic Council experts to discuss critical issues for the bilateral relationship.
Impact goal
To deepen the US-Mexico relationship and foster long-term interparliamentary ties by educating, convening, and establishing relationships between congressional staff and legislators in both countries.
Format
Every year, a select number of fellows participate in off-the-record master classes led by experts and guest speakers from the public, private, and civil society sectors on issues relevant to the US-Mexico relationship, including:
Economic interdependence in North America
Security and rule of law
Public health cooperation
Energy
Migration
Diplomacy and soft power
Fellows are also invited to participate in educational trips to Mexico and the United States, where they will meet their counterparts for a series of in-person roundtables and strategy sessions.
Meet our 2021 Rio Bravo Fellows
US-based fellows:
Molly Carpenter
Legislative Director, Sen. Mike Crapo (ID)
US Senate
Mariah Carray
Legislative Assistant, Rep. Norma Torres (CA-35)
US House of Representatives
Mariana Cruz-Muñoz
Professional Staff, House Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere
US House of Representatives
Paul Guaglianone
Legislative Assistant, Sen. Roy Blunt (MO)
US House of Representatives
Mena Hanna
Senior Policy Advisor, Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (NE-1)
US House of Representatives
Elizabeth López-Sandoval
Communications Director, Rep. Veronica Escobar (TX-16)
US House of Representatives
Alexander Morales
Legislative Aide, Rep. Greg Steube (FL-17)
US House of Representatives
Sam Mulopulos
Policy Advisor, Sen. Rob Portman (OH)
US Senate
Corinne Paul
Foreign Legislative Aide, Sen. Ben Cardin (MD)
US Senate
Victoria Rivas
Deputy Chief of Staff, Rep. Pete Aguilar (CA-13)
US House of Representatives
Chandler Smith
Legislative Director, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15)
US House of Representatives
Patrice Smith
Communications Director, Rep. Scott Franklin (FL-15)
US House of Representatives
Joshua Thomas
Legislative Assistant, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (IL)
US Senate
Jessica Valdes
Legislative Aide, Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX-20)
US Senate
Mexico-based fellows:
Alejandra Moreno
Parliamentary Advisor
Mexican Chamber of Deputies
Arturo Sánchez
Parliamentary Advisor
Mexican Chamber of Deputies
Carlos López Kramsky
Legislative Advisor; Sen. Gálvez (PAN)
Mexican Senate
Cynthia López Castro
Congresswomen (PRI)
Mexican Chamber of Deputies
Luis Eugenio Orantes
Chief of Staff; Sen. Kempis Martínez (MC)
Mexican Senate
Emerson Segura
Parliamentary Advisor
Mexican Senate
Guadalupe Plata
Advisor; Sen. Sánchez (MORENA)
Mexican Senate
Juan Francisco Morales
Legislative Advisor; Sen. Ruiz Massieu (PRI)
Mexican Senate
Frida González
Parliamentary Advisor
Mexican Senate
Guillermo Ucha
Congressional Staffer; Sen. Martín del Campo (PAN)
Mexican Senate
Judith Fuentes
Researcher; Gilberto Bosques Research Center
Mexican Senate
Liliana Martínez
Advisor; Sen. Vázquez Alatorre (MORENA)
Mexican Senate
Mauricio Cantú
Chief of Staff; Sen. Gómez Urrutia (MORENA)
Mexican Senate
Publio Rivera Rivas
Technical Secretary
Mexican Senate
Raúl Espejel Segura
Advisor; Committee on Foreign Affairs
Mexican Chamber of Deputies
Sebastian Rojas
Head of Department, International Visits; Gilberto Bosques Research Center
Mexican Senate
Victor Lorenzo Muñoz
Legislative Advisor
Mexican Chamber of Deputies
Meet our 2020 Rio Bravo Fellows
US-based fellows:
Louise Bentsen
Legislative Director, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15)
US House of Representatives
Tomas Delgado
Legislative Aide, Sen. Cory Booker (NJ)
US Senate
Matthew Fery
Chief of Staff, Rep. Brian Higgings (NY-26)
US House of Representatives
Julia Friedman
Trade Counsel, Majority, House Committee on Ways and Means
US House of Representatives
Jacqueline Sanchez
Legislative Director, Rep. Verónica Escobar (TX-16)
US House of Representatives
Samantha Stiles
Director of Committee Operations, House Foreign Affairs Committee
US House of Representatives
Nicholas Widmyer
Legislative Assistant, Rep. Abigail Spanberger (VA-7)
US House of Representatives
Marilyn Zepeda Salazar
Legislative Assistant, Rep. Raul Grijalva (AZ-3)
US House of Representatives
Elizabeth Bender
Legislative Correspondent, Sen. Mike Crapo (ID)
US Senate
Claire Figel
Policy Analyst, Western Hem, Sen. James Risch (ID)
US Senate
David Giordano
Professional Staff Member, Minority, House Committee on Ways and Means
US House of Representatives
Cameron Poursoltan
Senior Legislative Assist, Rep. Michael McCaul (TX-10)
US House of Representatives
Stephen Boyd
Legislative Aide, Sen. James Lankford (OK)
US Senate
Scott Reber
Legislative Assistant, Sen. James Risch (ID)
US Senate
Sean Clerget
Oversight Counsel, Rep. Kevin Brady (TX-8)
US House of Representatives
Mexico-based fellows:
Adriana Hernandez Marquina
Senior Economic Advisor, Sen. Vanessa Rubio
Mexican Senate
Alejandro Cruz Sanchez
Chief of Staff, Sen. Vanessa Rubio
Mexican Senate
Javier Brown
Technical Assistant, Committee on North America
Mexican Senate
Mariana Gutierrez
Advisor, Sen. Noe Fernando Casañon
Mexican Senate
Maria Fernanda Torres Rodriguez
Advisor, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Sen. Nancy de la Sierra
Mexican Senate
Carmen Mariana Salazar Ramos
Asistant, Committee Foreign Affairs Asia-Pacific-Africa, Sen. Cora Cecilia Pinedo
Mexican Senate
Daniel Rosado Mendez
Chief of Staff, Sen. Claudia Ruiz Massieu Salinas
Mexican Senate
Miguel Aguila Mercerón
Head of Securities Department, Sen. Ricardo Monreal
Mexican Senate
David Hernandez Lopez
Researcher, Gilberto Bosques Research Center
Mexican Senate
José de Jesús de la Torre
Advisor, Sen. Gina Cruz Blackledge
Mexican Senate
Braulio Lopez Ochoa
Advisor, Sen. Dante Delgado
Mexican Senate
Juan Manuel Ramirez
Advisor, Sen. Patricia Mercado
Mexican Senate
Anel Bautista Delgado
Legislative Assistant, Sen. Ricardo Monreal
Mexican Senate
Rodrigo Franco Navarro
Technical Assistant, Committee on Migration and Border Issues, Sen. Bertha Alicia Caraveo
Mexican Senate
Javier Ivan Carreon Valencia
Chief of Staff, Sen. Manuel Velasco Coello
Mexican Senate
Alejandro Velazquez Mendoza
Deputy Secretary, Sen. Julio Menchaca
Mexican Senate
Darah Palafox
Researcher, Gilberto Bosques Research Center
Mexican Senate
Nuria Palou
Consultant
Guerra Castellanos y Asociados
Explore the 2020 Rio Bravo Congressional Fellowship
The Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center broadens understanding of regional transformations and delivers constructive, results-oriented solutions to inform how the public and private sectors can advance hemispheric prosperity.