Perry Spike

Perry Spike is an international development professional and passionate advocate for addressing governance, development, and social issues around the world. He has worked with several leading development organizations, including USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy, where he managed a portfolio of projects aimed at improving democracy and safeguarding human rights in South and Central America.

Before beginning his career in international development, Perry worked on several domestic projects, including efforts to reduce COVID impacts in marginalized communities, protecting the rights of LGBTQ people, organizing relief following natural disasters, and assisting immigrants to access low-cost legal help. His professional background provided him with the skills to help disenfranchised communities to seek their own voices and begin advocating for themselves.

Perry was born in Rochester, New York, and was raised in Tallahassee, Florida, and Houston, Texas. He completed his undergraduate degree at the New College of Florida in Sarasota, Florida, where he earned a B.A. in Political Science and International Studies with a minor in History. His experience living in Gulf Coast raised critical questions about social equity that he has addressed professionally and made him confront the devastating impacts of climate change after living through Hurricane Harvey and Ian.

In his free time, Perry likes to watch Star Wars, read, spend time with friends and family, and travel.

Summer internship

Over the summer, I worked with the Mexican Business Council for Trade, Investment, and Technology (COMCE) during the United States Mexico Canada trade agreement (USMCA) review. My work centered on producing research products that synthesized the positions of the Mexican business sector on relevant issue areas for government negotiators to carry into the review. This research was informed by attending meetings COMCE held with visiting U.S. Congressional delegations, which I supported through meeting preparation and note taking. We disseminated our insider knowledge of the process to our membership through expert convenings, providing industry stakeholders with updates on how the negotiations were evolving. Additionally, I expanded the reach of COMCE by managing the organization’s participation in the TRADEPOL network, through advising on an application for CIPE funding to propose and support piloting customs reform at the Laredo border crossing, and by completing procurement processes for a Mexican delegation to the Consumer Electronics Shows (CES). This partnership work was complimented by bidirectional translation support I provided for our communications products.