Our team

MICHAEL SKOL: 

Michael Skol graduated from Yale University and has a degree from the University of the Americas in Mexico City. He is an expert in the world of politics and international business practices, with a special emphasis on Latin America. He is a pioneer in the field of anti-corruption, has been directly involved in the global strategy aimed at eliminating bribery in transnational trade, and is an advisor to governments, multinational institutions and private companies.

He held the position of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs from 1993 to 1995. From that position, he was Washington's main mediator in various crises involving Latin American countries, including Colombia and Paraguay. He negotiated an agreement with Cuba that put an end to the “Rafter” affair in 1994 and acted as an intercessor in the disputed presidential elections in the Dominican Republic that same year. He developed, in cooperation with a group of presidents and ministers from the hemisphere, the "No to Corruption" campaign approved during the Summit of the Americas in Miami in December 1994. In 1995, he was chosen to carry out negotiations with Panama on possible US military presence after 1999.

From 1990 to 1993, he was the US ambassador to Venezuela, where he was noted for his efforts in pursuit of Venezuelan democracy and in support of US exporters and investors, and supported the opening of the oil industry to foreign direct investment.

He held other positions in the Foreign Relations Service in Buenos Aires, Saigon, Santo Domingo, Naples, Rome, San José and Bogotá. In Washington, he was the official in charge of Costa Rica, Paraguay and Uruguay, deputy director of Political Planning and director of Andean Affairs, all of them in the Office of Inter-American Affairs. Among the honors he received from foreign governments is to mention the Order of the Liberator of Venezuela and the Order of National Merit of Paraguay.

He joined the private sector in early 1996 after a distinguished career of more than 30 years with the US Foreign Service in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Southeast Asia and Europe. He is currently a partner at Skol & Associates Inc. and is part of the SKOL & SERNA International Consortium.

He participates in international conferences as a speaker and appears regularly on US radio and television networks, as well as on the Voice of America, the BBC and on radio and television channels in South America. He has testified before congressional committees dealing with issues ranging from communications security to money laundering. His articles on corruption and Latin America have been published in EL TIEMPO de Bogotá, THE MIAMI HERALD, ARCHIVOS DEL PRESENTE, and DIARIO DE LAS AMÉRICAS. He was also the original co-creator and co-host of the weekly television show “Choque de Opinions” on CNN en Español.

He was a member of the Board of the Venezuelan-American Association of the United States and of the Board of TRACE (“Transparent Agents and Contracting Entities”) and member of the Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs, the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics and the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists. He was the founding president of the US-Colombian Business Partnership, created in 1996 by several of the largest US companies doing business with Colombia; in December 1999 he was named President Emeritus. He has also been a member of the advisory editorial board of LATIN TRADE magazine.