Together with international partner Global Nexus, Ballard Partners publishes the Bi-Weekly Latin American Snapshot. A rundown on news and analysis across the region, it was released for the third time on February 19.
Among the top developments highlighted in the Bi-Weekly Latin American Snapshot is an upcoming summit to be held in Miami on March 7. Convened by resident Donald Trump, the summit will bring together the leaders of Argentina, Ecuador, Honduras, El Salvador, and Paraguay for a meeting focused on enhancing cooperation in the Western Hemisphere. The summit, which comes at a time of increasing Chinese investment in the region, will see the United States look to unite regional security, migration, and economic goals with the aim of reasserting US power and influence.
Strategic Partnerships Strengthening Regional Influence
As the United States flexes its muscle in the Western Hemisphere, Ballard Partners is doing the same in the realm of public affairs and government relations. Through the Ballard Global Alliance, the firm has forged strategic partnerships with several Latin American companies, including Global Nexus.
Global Nexus specializes in facilitating mutually beneficial relationships between US and Latin American stakeholders. Led by Ruben Olmos, the firm maintains offices in Mexico City and Washington, DC. From these locations, it offers advocacy, research, and advisory services designed to help clients reach their inter-regional goals.
Global Nexus entered into the collaboration with Ballard Partners in 2025. At the time, the alliance already included two other Latin American partners: the Brazilian think tank and civic organization Esfera and the Argentina-based public affairs and strategic advisory firm Cefeidas Group. Working together, the members of the Ballard Global Alliance—which also include Canadian partner TACT—are providing seamless cross-border advocacy to clients across the Western Hemisphere.
Expansion Through Western Hemisphere Affairs Practice
Ballard Partners’ presence in the Western Hemisphere has been further enhanced through the formation of the Western Hemisphere Affairs Practice. Launched in January 2026, the specialty division combines the expertise of former high-level members of the Trump administration with well-connected former government staffers and officials. Key Ballard Partners consultants who constitute the interdisciplinary team include Micah Ketchel, formerly a senior adviser to the national security advisor, and Tracie Pough, formerly the longtime chief of staff to Florida congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
In partnership with other Ballard Partners consultants, the Western Hemisphere Practice will offer insights on international trade, cross-border regulatory affairs and transactions, and diplomatic relations with the goal of supporting clients in achieving their business and policy objectives across the Western Hemisphere.
According to Brian Ballard, the founder and president of Ballard Partners, “The geopolitical and economic integration of the Western Hemisphere has never been more vital to US national interests.”
The creation of the practice, then, comes with the goal of “ensuring our clients have access to the deep regional expertise and bipartisan institutional knowledge required to succeed in these critical markets,” Ballard said.
As part of the Western Hemisphere Affairs Practice, Ballard Partners has also announced the formation of the Venezuela Working Group. This unit will support clients in navigating the evolving regulatory, commercial, and diplomatic environment in the South American country following the US operation that removed former president Nicolás Maduro.
In the most recent edition of the Bi-Weekly Latin American Snapshot, Ballard Partners highlighted its knowledge of Venezuela by analyzing recent developments in the Latin American nation. The report specifically discussed interim president Delcy Rodriguez’s attempts to implement institutional reforms in the county and how they are being viewed as concessions to the United States. While opposition groups approve of dismantling the former Maduro regime’s governing model, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has declared her intention to challenge Rodriguez for the presidency, saying she believes a special election should be held within approximately 10 months.
