Kevin Casas-Zamora Appointed Director of the Inter-American Dialogue’s Peter D. Bell Rule of Law Program

Washington, DC – The Inter-American Dialogue is pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin Casas-Zamora, a Costa Rican lawyer and political scientist, as senior fellow and director of the Dialogue’s Peter D. Bell Rule of Law Program.

Casas-Zamora was secretary of political affairs at the Organization of American States until June 2015 and, before that, senior fellow with the Latin American Initiative at the Brookings Institution. He previously served as Costa Rica’s second-vice president and minister of national planning under the administration of Óscar Arias. He was also general coordinator of Costa Rica’s award-winning National Human Development Report for the United Nations Development Program from 2003 to 2005. Casas-Zamora is the author of numerous studies on campaign finance, elections, democratic governance, and citizen security in Latin America.

“Kevin brings tremendous knowledge and practical experience to rule of law issues that are so crucial for progress throughout the Americas. I am confident he will greatly enhance the Dialogue’s efforts in this area,” said Dialogue President Michael Shifter.

Casas-Zamora holds a law degree from the University of Costa Rica, a masters in political science from the University of Essex, and a doctorate in political science from the University of Oxford. He has been a member of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders network since 2007 and of the Bretton Woods Committee since 2013.

Established in 2015 with support from the Ford Foundation and named in honor of a founding Dialogue co-chair, the Peter D. Bell Rule of Law Program aims to elevate policy discussions around democratic institutions, government accountability, human rights, and citizen engagement in Latin America. 

For press inquiries, contact press@thedialogue.org or +1-202-463-2931.

About the Inter-American Dialogue

The Inter-American Dialogue is the leading center for policy analysis, exchange, and communications on Western Hemisphere affairs. Its mission is to bring together public and private leaders from around the world to debate the most critical issues facing the Americas and find cooperative solutions.

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