Charles Shapiro

Charles Shapiro is president of the World Affairs Council of Atlanta and a senior lecturer at the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. From 2011-2013 Shapiro was the president of the Institute of the Americas, a think tank at the University of California San Diego. During his career at the U.S. Department of State, he held a number of senior positions including Ambassador to Venezuela, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Western Hemisphere, and Coordinator for Cuban Affairs.

At the World Affairs Council, he has organized and led numerous trips to Cuba. Shapiro’s op-eds have been published most recently the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the Latin America Advisor, the Huffington Post, the Miami Herald, the San Diego Union Tribune and the Los Angeles Times.

Shapiro earned a B.A. at the University of Pennsylvania and an M.Ed. from Georgia State University.  He serves on the Board of Trustees of Agnes Scott College.