Mexico Workshop Speaker Biographies

The Mexican-U.S. Partnership:
Enhancing Our Common Security

Speaker Biographies

Mr. John A. Cope is Senior Research Fellow, Institute for National Security Studies, National Defense University. Mr. Cope is a specialist in Western Hemisphere security affairs, U.S. policy for Latin America and the Caribbean, civil-military relations, and defense education. Previously, he has held positions in the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, at U.S. Southern Command, and in the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. He has also taught at the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Army War College, the U.S. Marine Corps War College, and the Department of State's Foreign Service Institute. He holds an M.A. from Duke University and a B.S. from the U.S. Military Academy.

Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth L. Deal, Jr., USA, is branch chief for the International Counterproliferation Program, Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). After serving in various command and staff positions as an armor and cavalry officer, he was assigned to the On-Site Inspection Directorate at DTRA in 2000 as a nuclear and counterproliferation officer. More recently, he has participated in operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom as a member of a WMD search team. LTC Deal received a B.A. in history from the University of Idaho, and an M.A. in social science from Syracuse University. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, and the Joint Service and Army Achievement Medals.

Ambassador Eduardo Ibarrola is deputy chief of mission, Embassy of Mexico in the United States of America.

Colonel Lenwood "Pete" Landrum is chief of staff, Joint Task Force Civil Support (JTF-CS), U.S. Northern Command. Prior to this assignment, he was director of operations, J-3, Joint Force Headquarters, Alabama National Guard. COL Landrum enlisted in the Army National Guard in 1976. He was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and served as a light weapons specialist. In 1978, he joined the Senior ROTC program at the University of Alabama and received his commission in 1980. He was then assigned as Executive Officer, Company B, 1st Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group. He joined the Active Guard and Reserve program in 1985 as education services officer, Alabama Army National Guard.

Mr. Rogelio (Roger) Pardo-Maurer is deputy assistant secretary of defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense. Previously, Mr. Pardo-Maurer was president of Emerging Market Access, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm, and a managing partner of Access NAFTA Project Management, a trade and investment advisory firm based in Washington, D.C., and Mexico City. Prior to that, he was president of Chartwell Information Group, a publisher of pricing and business data for the waste control and environmental remediation industry. He has also worked as a specialist in Latin American and U.S.-Hispanic issues at the American Enterprise Institute and at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He obtained a B.A. in history from Yale University, and a postgraduate degree (with distinction) in development economics from King’s College at Cambridge University.

Ms. Suzanne Petrie is director for Latin America, Office of International Affairs, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where she is responsible for strategy and security implementation within the Western Hemisphere and represents the department on Latin American issues at the White House and State Department. From 2000 to 2004, Ms. Petrie was director for North American Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, International Security Affairs. For her work as coordinator for bilateral meetings during the Defense Ministerial of the Americas IV, she received the Office of the Secretary of Defense Award for Excellence in 2000. Ms. Petrie holds an M.A. in U.S foreign and defense policy from American University’s School of International Service, and graduated from the Military Intelligence Officers Basic Course at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.

Dr. Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr., is president, Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis, and Shelby Cullom Davis Professor of International Security Studies, The Fletcher School, Tufts University. He has held a visiting appointment as George C. Marshall Professor, the College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium, and as Professor, the National Defense College, Tokyo, Japan. He has also advised key administration officials on military strategy, modernization, international terrorism, consequence management and counterproliferation issues, the future of the Atlantic Alliance, and arms control policy. Dr. Pfaltzgraff leads IFPA's research projects on future security environments and technology diffusion and curricular development on issues associated with weapons of mass destruction. His work encompasses alliance relations, homeland security, crisis management, missile defense, the development and conduct of gaming exercises, arms control issues, and strategic planning in the emerging security environment. He holds an M.A. in international relations, a Ph.D. in political science, and an M.B.A. in international business from the University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Oscar Rocha is deputy director, international affairs, Center for Research and National Security, Government of Mexico. Previously, he was president, The Joaquin Amaro Foundation for Strategic Studies in Mexico City, Mexico. He has also served as adviser for National Security and Law Enforcement Affairs, secretary of finance and budget, minister for special affairs (politico-military affairs), Embassy of Mexico in Washington, D.C., and deputy press secretary for international affairs to the president of Mexico. Mr. Rocha is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Mexican Council for International Affairs. He has lectured in national security affairs at the Naval Higher Studies Center, National Defense College, El Colegio de México, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, and the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. He holds a B.A. from El Colegio de México and an M.A. from both the Colegio de Defensa Nacional and Princeton University.