Hoover Institution (Stanford, CA)—Juan Carlos Pinzón, a former Colombian defense minister and two-time ambassador to the United States, has joined the Hoover Institution as a distinguished visiting fellow.
Pinzón brings experience in national security, diplomacy, economic policy, and public administration. His career spans senior government positions, international financial institutions, private-sector leadership, and university teaching. He has also served on corporate and advisory boards in the United States, Colombia, other Latin American countries, and Africa.
As Colombia’s minister of defense from 2011 to 2015, Pinzón oversaw investment in personnel, technology, and equipment for the country’s armed forces and police. His tenure included major operations against organized crime. His appointment made him the nation’s youngest-ever minister of defense. He previously served as deputy minister of defense from 2006 to 2009 and as secretary general of the Office of the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2011.
He ran for president of the country in 2017, establishing the Ante Todo Colombia citizens’ movement to generate support and gather signatures to successfully get on the ballot. The first round of presidential voting in Colombia that year saw Pinzón serve as vice presidential running mate to Germán Vargas Lleras as independent candidates.
Pinzón served as Colombia’s ambassador to the United States from 2015 to 2017 and again from 2021 to 2022. His second term coincided with the 200th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. From 2018 to 2021, he led ProBogotá, a private nonprofit organization that promotes public policies and long-term strategic projects.
Pinzón earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in economics from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and a master’s degree in public policy from Princeton. He also holds an honorary master’s degree in national security and defense from Colombia’s War College.
For more information, please contact Jeffrey Marschner, assistant director of media and government relations, at jmarsch@stanford.edu or 202-760-3200.
