Experts & Leadership

Carin Zissis

Carin
Zissis

Vice President, Content Strategy; Editor-in-Chief, AS/COA Online

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Areas of Expertise

Mexico, digital media

Washington, DC

Carin Zissis directs AS/COA's online and media relations teams, developing digital content strategies to enhance the organizations' visibility. 

In her editorial role, she oversees AS/COA Online's suite of content, and is the host of the Latin America in Focus, the organization's institutional podcast. Based in Mexico City from 2013 to 2021 and with more than 20 years of editorial experience, she has closely covered Mexican and Latin American politics, writing for The Boston Globe, Foreign Policy, Univision, El Universal, World Politics Review, and other publications. She frequently provides commentary to media outlets such as AP, AFP, BBC, CNN, Deutsche Welle, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.

She served as a 2024–25 Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ Competition Fellow affiliated with the Center’s Mexico Institute.

Prior to joining AS/COA, she covered Asia as a website staff writer for the Council on Foreign Relations, where her work on an interactive guide to North Korean nuclear tensions earned CFR.org’s Crisis Guide series a 2007 Knight-Batten Award for Innovations in Journalism. She also served as copy editor for the Emmy Award-winning Darfur Guide.

She holds an MA in journalism and Latin American studies from New York University, a BA in history from George Washington University, and is a member of the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations (COMEXI).

Connect

Areas of Expertise

Mexico, digital media

Washington, DC

Contributions from Carin Zissis

Iowa and Immigration
/ Carin Zissis

Immigration emerged as one of the most divisive issues during U.S. presidential campaigns in advance of the Iowa caucus. Yet a decision must be made on immigration policy, said Ex Mex author Jorge Castañeda in an AS/COA interview: "It's either regression...or reform." Meanwhile, U.S. states approve increasing numbers of immigration-related laws.

Felipe's First Year
/ Carin Zissis

Mexican President Felipe Calderón emerged as a sure-footed leader during his first year in office, meeting challenges ranging from organized crime to a deadlocked legislature to a natural disaster. Now that the honeymoon period is over, how will he fare in 2008? An AS/COA update takes a look at what Calderón achieved and the tests he'll face next.