SIGLA Alumni
Leadership
Elizabeth Ash (BSFS ‘21) graduated from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service with a degree in International Economics. She worked for SIGLA from January 2020 to April 2022, first as a research assistant on the Mexico team, then as the project manager.
Simón Ballesteros (PhD Government ’25) first joined SIGLA in 2019 as a data verifier and worked on institutional development. He then re-joined as a member of the leadership team from fall 2023 to fall 2024. He studies constitutional change from a comparative perspective, focusing on Latin American countries.
Binio Binev (PhD Government ’18) planned and coordinated SIGLA research activities for four years between 2016 and 2020. His research and writings cover various topics in comparative politics, including institutions, political economy, and populism, and his methodological interests revolve around developing ways to combine historical, probabilistic, and fieldwork perspectives in cross-regional research. He has carried out fieldwork in Latin America and Europe and his research has been supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Columbia University’s Center for European Studies, Georgetown University, and Virginia Tech.
Hannah Bomberg (BSFS ’23, M.A. Latin American Studies ’24) studied International Politics with a focus on foreign policy and policy processes and completed an M.A. in Latin American Studies with a concentration in governance and leadership. She joined the SIGLA team in the summer of 2021 as a research assistant for Mexico and became a research associate in fall 2022.
Sarah Bryant (BSFS ’22) graduated from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service with a major in International Politics and a minor in Latin American Studies. She worked for SIGLA from May 2020 to August 2022 as a research assistant for the Colombia team and then as a research associate for methods, processes, and institutionalization.
Fernando Mello (PhD Political Science 2022, UCLA; M.A. Latin American Studies ‘15) was a research fellow at SIGLA and adjunct professor in Georgetown’s Department of Government and Center for Latin American Studies. His work focuses on political polarization, the influence of organized groups in public policy, and causal inference.
Katja Newman (PhD Political Science 2017, UC Irvine) is a political scientist specializing in democratization, electoral law, executive power, and constitutional change in Latin America. She began her career supporting civic development and political party-building in the region. Newman frequently serves on election observation missions, having witnessed 15 elections in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Felipe Lobo Koerich (J.D. 2026, Harvard Law School; M.A. Latin American Studies ’22, B.S. Foreign Service ’21) initially joined SIGLA in spring 2021 as a Mexico research assistant and returned in fall 2021 as a research associate and social media manager. He served as SIGLA’s research manager from 2021 to 2023. He graduated in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in International Politics and 2022 with a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies. He wrote his graduate capstone on Brazilian domestic and foreign policy towards 4th Industrial Revolution technologies. He is currently pursuing his J.D. at Harvard Law School.
Researchers
Estefania Acosta (COL ‘23) studied Government and Economics. She began working with SIGLA in the summer of 2021 as a research assistant on the Colombia team and later served as a senior research assistant.
Nicolás Albertoni (LAS ’16) worked with SIGLA from 2014 to 2016, carrying out market research, helping to envision the transition from the PDBA precursor site, and thinking through the project’s institutionalization. His research broadly engages questions in international political economy and comparative politics with an emphasis on Latin America. He has a Master of Science in Economics (2020) from USC and a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies from Georgetown University (2016).
André D. S. Amaral (BSFS ‘21) studied International Politics and International Development with a focus on international law and institutions. A native Brazilian, he joined SIGLA as a research assistant in summer 2019 and worked mostly on Brazil.
Alicia Barry (BSFS ‘20) worked as a SIGLA research assistant for one year, covering Colombia. She graduated with a major in Regional and Comparative Studies with a focus in Latin America and the Middle East. Alicia also minored in Arabic.
Colleen Baxley
Luis E. Borrero (COL ‘19, MSB ‘20) worked as a SIGLA research assistant from 2019 to 2020, covering Colombia. He earned his undergraduate degree in 2019, with a double major in Economics and Government, and proceeded to complete a Master of Science in Management the next year.
Francesca Burke (BSFS ‘22) majored in Culture and Politics, with a focus on international migration policy and governance, and minored in Spanish and Latin American Studies. She joined SIGLA in 2021 as a research assistant on the Colombia team.
Leticia Chacón (BSFS ‘21, LAS ‘22) studied international politics and Latin America, focusing on international law, institutions, and ethics, with a particular concentration on forced displacement and humanitarian crises. She also has a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies from Georgetown. She joined SIGLA as a research assistant in January 2020 for the Brazil team, and she later worked on Colombia.
Bianca Clark (BSFS ‘18) spent two and a half years as a SIGLA research assistant, during which she primarily focused on Mexico. She graduated in 2018 with a major in Regional Studies that focused on Latin America, a minor in Spanish, and a certificate in Justice and Peace Studies. After graduation, she served as a youth development volunteer in Morocco with the U.S. Peace Corps up until their global evacuation in March 2020.
Andrés Celis-Madrid (COL ’26) studies Government and is pursuing a minor in Latin American Studies. He joined SIGLA in the summer of 2023 as a research assistant on the Colombia team. He joined the Venezuela team in the fall of 2023. Outside of SIGLA, he enjoys doing political campaign work and rooting for the Miami Marlins.
Cristina Cuervo Rengifo (BSFS ‘22) studied Latin America and Western Europe as part of her major in Regional and Comparative Studies. She also minored in International Development and French. She joined the SIGLA team in summer 2021 as a research assistant for Brazil.
Robert Dohrman (BSFS ‘23) studied International Political Economy with a particular interest in economic development and Latin America. He began working with SIGLA in the summer of 2022 as a research assistant on the Colombia team.
Chris Dorado (BSFS ‘24) studied Latin America through his major in Regional and Comparative Studies, with a minor in Spanish. He joined SIGLA as a research assistant during the summer of 2022 with the Mexico team.
Sean Fulmer (SFS ‘20) worked as a SIGLA research assistant for a year, covering Brazil. They graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in May 2020, magna cum laude with a B.S. in International Economics and a minor in Portuguese.
Sebastian Garcia (BSFS ‘24) majored International Politics, with a focus on foreign policy, and pursued a minor in Korean. He joined SIGLA in the fall of 2022 as a research assistant on the Mexico team.
Chloe Gilroy (MSFS ‘20) worked for SIGLA as a research assistant in summer 2019, covering Mexico.
Alexis Gorfine (BSFS ’22) graduated from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service with a degree in International Politics and a minor in Latin American Studies. She worked with SIGLA from June 2021 to May 2022 as a research assistant on the Brazil team.
Arnosh Keswani (BSFS ‘17) worked as a SIGLA research assistant during his final year at Georgetown.
Anna Landre (BSFS ‘21) worked with SIGLA from fall 2019 to spring 2021 as a research assistant on the Mexico and Brazil teams. She studied disability, law implementation, and international development and pursued a master’s degree at the London School of Economics as a Marshall Scholar. Anna is an internationally-recognized disability activist and her advocacy has been featured in outlets including the Washington Post, Forbes, Vogue, and others.
Sophia Lima (BSFS ’24) majored in International Politics and Justice and Peace. She began working with SIGLA in the summer of 2023 as a research assistant on the Brazil team. Outside of SIGLA, she teaches creative writing to incarcerated individuals as part of Georgetown’s Prison Outreach Program and enjoys long-distance running.
Will Linde (BSFS ‘20) worked as a SIGLA research assistant during the fall of 2018, covering legal and political institutions in Argentina. Will graduated magna cum laude from the Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service in May 2020 with a major in International Politics, a concentration in International Law, Institutions, and Ethics, and a minor in Spanish.
Colin Maloney (BSFS ‘20) worked as a SIGLA research assistant for a year and a half, covering Mexico. In May 2020, Colin graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, summa cum laude with a BS in Foreign Service and a minor in Latin American Studies. His senior thesis on negotiations in Latin America between governments and insurgent groups earned him Georgetown’s Rowe Award for superior achievement in Latin American History.
Andres Marquez (BSFS ‘20) worked as a SIGLA research assistant in summer 2019 covering institutions in Colombia. He graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in May 2020 with a major in International Politics, a concentration in International Law, and a minor in French. At Georgetown, he focused his studies on Latin American politics and law.
Ana Martinez (BSFS ‘24) majored in Regional and Comparative Studies, with a focus on Latin America and Western Europe and minored in French. She joined SIGLA in the summer of 2022 as a research assistant on the Colombia team.
Catalina Martínez Sarmiento (MA Democracy and Governance, Graduate Certificate in Latin American Studies ‘18) worked as a SIGLA graduate research assistant from 2017 to 2018 covering Colombia. She has since worked tackling socio-environmental conflicts and supporting environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs) in Latin America.
Bernardo Medeiros (COL ‘24) graduated with a double major in Computer Science and Government, with a particular interest in Latin American political institutions. He joined SIGLA in the fall of 2022 as a research assistant on the Brazil team.
Andrea Ocando (MIDP ‘21) worked for SIGLA as a research assistant in 2019, mapping potential institutional partners. She is originally from Caracas, Venezuela.
Paulina Ortega Madrid (MSFS ‘18) worked as a research assistant in the spring and summer of 2017 while completing her Master of Science in Foreign Service with a focus on international development.
Stacey Pirtle (LAS ‘20) worked as a SIGLA research assistant in summer 2019, covering Mexico. Since graduating from Georgetown, she has worked with organizations like the Washington Office on Latin America and the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission.
Eric Salgado (LAS ‘17) worked as a SIGLA research assistant during spring 2017 with a particular focus on Brazil. He graduated that same year with a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies before entering the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer in July 2017.
Ben Schatz (BSFS ‘22) studied Science, Technology, and International Affairs with a focus on Latin America. He joined the SIGLA team in summer 2020 as a research assistant for the Mexico team.
Victoria Scholtz (BSFS ‘24) studied International History, with a focus on post-colonial Latin America, and received a minor in Portuguese. She joined the SIGLA team in the summer of 2022 as a research assistant on the Brazil team. She joined the Chile team in the fall of 2023. Outside of SIGLA, she enjoys dancing, playing field hockey, and spending time with her dog.
Ian Scholer (BSFS ‘19) worked for SIGLA as a research assistant in summer 2018. He graduated in 2019 with a major in International Politics, a certificate in Latin American Studies, and a minor in Spanish. After graduating, he worked as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Mexico City, Mexico for a year and started his master’s degree in Mexico-United States Studies at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico in September 2020.
Maria Victoria Silveira e Silva (BSFS ‘19) worked as a SIGLA research assistant during her senior year at Georgetown, covering Brazil.
Elisabeth Wachtel (SFS ’24) graduated with a major in International Politics and minors in Spanish and Economics. She joined SIGLA as a research assistant on the Mexico team in the summer of 2023. She joined the Argentina team in the fall of 2023.
Colton Wade (BSFS ‘18, MSFS ‘19) worked as a SIGLA research assistant during his final two years at Georgetown, covering Brazil. He took this experience to the University of Oxford, where he completed his MPhil as an Allbritton Scholar.
Carolina Wesley (BSFS ’26) is majoring in International Politics with a concentration in International Law, Ethics and Institutions. She began working with SIGLA in the summer of 2024 as a research assistant on the Brazil team. Outside of SIGLA, she enjoys going to the gym, traveling, and spending time with her family/friends.
Ethan Williams (BSFS ‘23) studied International History with a focus on colonialism and imperialism in East Asia and Latin America, minoring in Portuguese and Chinese. He joined the SIGLA team in the summer of 2022 as a research assistant for Brazil.