‘Why Latin America Matters: Critical Minerals and More’ with Ramon Escobar

Join UNC Global Affairs for a Diplomatic Discussion with Ramon Escobar on why Latin America matters, with an emphasis on critical minerals. Escobar is an expert on global affairs who has shaped economic and American foreign policy across Latin America and beyond. He will participate in a fireside chat with Vice Provost for Global Affairs and Chief Global Officer Barbara Stephenson and answer questions from the audience.
Wednesday, Jan. 21 
 5:30 p.m., pizza to follow! 
 FedEx Global Education Center, Nelson Mandela Auditorium
Plan to attend? Let us know! CLE credit is available. 
The Diplomatic Discussion speaker series is part of Carolina’s Diplomacy Initiative, which introduces students to shared global challenges and provides them opportunities to practice skills necessary to address those challenges. In 2025, UNC Global Affairs launched the Carolina Diplomacy Fellows for students interested in deepening their engagement with the Diplomacy Initiative.  
 
Read more about Ramon Escobar
Ramon Escobar has 20 years of experience in government and international business, specializing in foreign policy, infrastructure finance, critical minerals and emerging technologies. He is managing director of Actum, where he advises clients on navigating complex geopolitical and economic landscapes, and also serves as a Senior Advisor at the Milken Institute Finance, contributing to policy dialogues for the Geo-economics Initiative focused on Latin America.
Previously, he served as Director for Western Hemisphere Strategy at the National Security Council, where he advanced U.S. economic strategies and mobilized resources for key sectors in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Ramon has held senior roles at the U.S. Department of State and taught at the Council on Foreign Relations and Georgetown University, with a diplomatic career spanning the Middle East, Europe and Latin America.
He also co-founded and operated a trade and e-commerce startup, bringing business experience to his policy expertise.
Ramon holds dual master’s degrees in international affairs from Columbia University and Sciences Po-Paris, is fluent in Spanish and French, with basic proficiency in Arabic, and lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two sons.
Hosted by: UNC Global
Additional Information can be found at: https://heellife.unc.edu/event/12002273