Skip to main content

The German Marshall Fund of the United States

  • Who we are
    • Programs
      • Alliance for Securing Democracy
      • Asia Program
      • Balkan Trust for Democracy
      • Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation
      • Congressional Affairs
      • Europe Program
      • Fund for Belarus Democracy
      • Future of Geopolitics
      • GMF Cities
      • GMF Digital
      • Leadership Programs
      • Mediterranean Program
      • Security and Defense
    • Offices
      • Ankara
      • Belgrade
      • Berlin
      • Brussels
      • Bucharest
      • Paris
      • Warsaw
      • Washington, DC
    • About Us
    • Marshall Plan
    • Our Partners
  • Experts
  • Events
    Jan
    21
    Upcoming Event

    The U.S.-EU Relationship in 2021 and Beyond - What Can We Expect From the Biden Administration?

    January 21, 2021 | 9:00AM to 10:00AM EST
    • Major Conferences & Forums
      GMF brings together hundreds of policymakers, elected officials, academics, and business leaders from around the world to discuss topics from energy to migration, economics to security, urban growth to diplomacy.
    All Events →
  • Our Work
    • Topics
      • America
      • Asia
      • Europe
      • Cities and Regions
      • Security
      • Trade and Economies
      • All Topics
    • Research
      • Publications
      • Transatlantic Takes
    • Perspectives
      • Audio
      • Video
      • Blog post
      • In The News
  • Stay Informed
Expert

William McIlhenny

Senior Wider Atlantic Fellow
Washington, DC
Expertise: 
Policy, Foreign and Transatlantic Relations / Latin America / North America / Global Futures
Related Topics: 
Security and Defense Program, Wider Atlantic, Atlantic Strategy Group

William McIlhenny is a senior Wider Atlantic fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. He was a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of State and director of policy, planning, and coordination for the Western Hemisphere bureau. Earlier, as a member of the secretary of state’s Policy Planning Staff, he focused on strategic dimensions of U.S. policy in Latin America and global futures.

At the White House, as director for North American affairs on the National Security Council staff, he managed interagency coordination of U.S. relations with Canada and Mexico. There he worked closely with the office of the newly created director of homeland security from 2001-02 to develop new frameworks for stronger border and other security cooperation that protects key economic and trade interests. 

As a career U.S. diplomat, he held a number of positions at U.S. missions in Latin America and Europe and had Washington-based assignments focused on UN Security Council issues, Congressional relations, and U.S.–Mexico relations. In Paris, he headed the U.S. Observation Mission to UNESCO, coordinating participation in its programs by multiple U.S. agencies.  

He is a periodic commentator on U.S. relations with Latin America and the region’s growing global integration. A member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, McIlhenny holds the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic and other civic and government awards and honors. He is a graduate of Georgetown University, served as an American Political Science Association fellow at SAIS, and completed other studies at the University of Tel Aviv.

Press Queries

Members of the media are invited to contact us by email:

[email protected]

Download

High Res Photo

Most Recent Content

Photo Credit: Triff / Shutterstock

Blog post

Engagement Within Atlantic Societies Is Key to Local and Global Order

Feb 7, 2019 | By William McIlhenny
In the News

Brazil Beyond Impeachment

Apr 29, 2016 | By Tim Ridout, William McIlhenny
Report

Atlantic Currents 2015: An Annual Report on Wider Atlantic Perspectives and Patterns

Oct 28, 2015 | By Tim Ridout, Mohamed El Harrak, William McIlhenny, David Rice, Tuesday Reitano, Mark Shaw, Nizar Messari, Zineb Benalla, Moubarack Lo, Michel Petit, Ndidi Nwuneli, Karim El Mokri, Tayeb Ghazi

Pages

  • Currently on page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • ›
  • »
Strengthening Transatlantic Cooperation

Our Organization

  • About GMF
  • Career Opportunities
  • Our Partners
  • Press Room
  • Support Our Work
  • Core Values

Our Work

  • Leadership
  • Policy
  • Civil Society
  • Research & Analysis

Our Experts

  • Find an Expert

Follow

  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Diversity Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Credits

Stay Informed

Don’t miss out on the latest from GMF. Sign up to receive emailed newsletters, announcements, and event notifications.

Subscribe