Based in Rio de Janeiro, John Black is a consultant in the Brazil field office of Vital Wave Consulting. He contributes expertise in corporate responsibility and sustainable development issues and strategies, as well
 as diverse business and research experience in Brazil.

Prior to joining Vital Wave Consulting in 2006, Mr. Black was an analyst at the Instituto Brasileiro de Estudos Políticos, a Brasília-based political risk advisory and consulting firm. In this role, he produced daily briefs and
 in-depth reports for multinational firms, government agencies, political parties, and labor associations to help them better understand and mitigate political and infra-structural risks and guide business strategies.
He currently serves as Net Impact's Ambassador to Brazil, spearheading the San Francisco-based non-profit's inaugural expansion efforts in the country. Previously, Mr. Black worked at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Export Assistance Center in San Francisco, where his responsibilities included analyzing import/export trends
in order to develop emerging-market growth strategies for U.S. clients.

Mr. Black holds a Master’s degree in Pacific International Affairs with a specialization in Economic Development
in Latin America from UC, San Diego and a B.A. in Political Science and Spanish Literature from UC, Berkeley.
As a Schoepflin International Fellow in 2004, he conducted research on corporate social responsibility and corporate governance linkages in Brazil, and served as an advisor to the Institutional Relations Department
at the non-profit organization, Viva Rio. He has also consulted with the Micro and Small Enterprise Trade-Led Growth Program, a USAID-funded initiative based in Brazil.