Michael A. May

Michael May directs the CSIS South America Project, which focuses primarily on advising U.S. policymakers and the private sector on regional developments in the region through the U.S.-MERCOSUR Congressional Study Group (a bipartisan group in the U.S. Congress). The project also provides briefings for the Washington policy community and private sector. In addition, May directs the U.S.-Argentine Caucus (the premier business organization promoting relations between the two countries), which maintains an intimate dialogue between senior public officials and prominent private sector leaders in the United States and Argentina. The caucus works to promote increased bilateral understanding and the continuation of Argentina's reform process. Prior to joining CSIS, May's professional activities included managing his own consulting business, working for a U.S. multinational company in Latin America, and directing the Western Hemisphere programs of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association. He also directed Latin American affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America, and the Brazil-U.S. Business Council. He has worked for a U.S. senator and the Pan American Health Organization. May has lived and traveled extensively throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. He received a B.A. from John Carroll University and an M.A. from Georgetown University. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.