Dr. Hayes is Vice President of Evidence Based Research, Inc, a defense research consulting firm. From November 1997 to March 2004 she served as the first Director of the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies (CHDS) at National Defense University. Dr. Hayes has specialized in U.S.-Latin American political economy and security issues throughout her career. Prior to assuming her position at CHDS, she led studies on U.S.-Latin American Naval and Air Force cooperation with Latin American countries for Evidence Based Research, Inc., and as a visiting fellow at the Center for Naval Analyses. She served as External Relations Advisor of the Inter-American Development Bank from 1987 to 1991. Prior to joining the Bank, she was Director of the Washington Office of the Council of the Americas from 1984 through 1987. She has also served as Senior Western Hemisphere staff person on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Associate Director of the Center of Brazilian Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and as Senior Analyst in the Policy Sciences Division at CACI, Inc. Dr. Hayes has also taught at George Mason University. She is the author of many publications, including numerous reports, book chapters, and journal articles.