Mariana Martínez Cuéllar is a security, defense, and justice policy specialist with over 15 years of experience working at the intersection of organized crime, citizen security, and institutional governance in Latin America. She has held senior leadership positions in the Colombian government, including as Vice Minister of Defense and as National Commissioner for Criminal Policy, where she led strategic reforms to strengthen state response to organized crime, promote accountable and transparent governance, advance the strategic management of defense and security resources through capability-based approaches to address emerging threats, and improve coordination among justice and security institutions.

Currently, Mariana is affiliated with the Institute for Defense Analyses – Institute for Security Governance and was recently appointed as a member of the Board of Trustees of Universidad de los Andes.

Her work focuses on building institutional capacity, enhancing the integrity of justice systems, and designing evidence-based policies to confront organized criminal threats and systemic corruption. She has advised international organizations and multilateral institutions on defense and security sector modernization, rule of law, and fiscal sustainability in high-risk environments.

Mariana is an economist and holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Maryland and a Master’s degree in Law from Universidad de los Andes. She has represented Colombia in high-level dialogues with the U.S. Department of Defense, NATO partners, and regional security forums.