Sergio Fontanez

Sergio Fontanez is a strategic advisor specializing in national security and international trade.

As the former Senior Advisor for National Security to the President and Chair of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), he played a central role in shaping the Bank’s strategic direction. He led the relaunch of EXIM’s import capabilities—the first in over 70 years—and developed an innovative financial instrument that bolstered the U.S. industrial base by enabling the financing of critical mineral imports essential to the defense, semiconductor, and emerging technology sectors.

Prior to his role at EXIM, Sergio served as a policy advisor to the U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, where he provided strategic guidance on cyber policy and coordinated multilateral sanctions enforcement in collaboration with international partners. Sergio also served as an intelligence analyst at the U.S. Department of State. In the private sector, he has counseled clients on export controls and international sanctions as an attorney at Holland & Knight LLP and led regulatory and policy transformation initiatives as a Managing Consultant at Guidehouse.

A U.S. Air Force veteran, Sergio holds an LL.M. in National Security Law from Georgetown University, a J.D. and M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University, and a B.A. in Mathematics and History from Central Connecticut State University. He resides in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife and son.