Laura Dawson is Director of the Wilson Center’s Canada Institute. Named one of Canada’s Top 100 foreign policy influencers by the Hill Times, Dawson is a speaker, writer, and thought leader on Canada-U.S., NAFTA, TPP, and international trade issues. Previously, she served as senior advisor on economic affairs at the United States Embassy in Ottawa and taught international trade and Canada-U.S. relations at Carleton University. Dawson continues to serve as an advisor at Dawson Strategic, which provides advice to business on cross-border trade, market access and regulatory issues. She is a Fellow at the MacDonald Laurier Institute, and the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. Dawson holds a PhD in political science.