Erlinda is an emerging technology policy and governance expert with a 20 + year career in international, federal, and state government affairs. She’s worked for and advised diverse organizations such as Accenture, the US Army, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the South Carolina Senate, and leading alcohol beverage companies. Erlinda is also a sommelier, wine and spirits educator, writer, and judge with a focus on supporting independent, family, or minority-owned brands. Her role as the former Director of Communications and Education for the Mezcal Institute, as well as her own personal endeavors to promote Mezcal to the global marketplace through collaborations with brands, suppliers, and the greater Mezcal community, has propelled to her become one of the world’s foremost experts on agave spirits. In her new capacity as the Global Ambassador for the Consejo Mexicano Regulador de la Calidad del Mezcal (COMERCAM), she is honored to continue educating, evangelizing, and preserving the cultural, historical, and mystical beverages of Mexico’s national spirit. A frequent speaker on issues pertaining to emerging technology, the economics of the alcohol beverage industry, and on diversity and gender equality, Erlinda received her Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University and a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University.