Brazil

Mauro Porto

Program Officer Rio de Janeiro

Mauro Porto works on media rights and access issues in Brazil. His grant making supports initiatives that advance freedom of expression and pluralism in the communications sector, especially those that promote democratic regulatory frameworks and media accountability.

Prior to joining the Ford Foundation in 2011, Mauro was an assistant professor of communication at Tulane University in New Orleans. He began his academic career in Brazil as assistant professor of political science and communication at the University of Brasilia, where he worked for six years.

Mauro has published widely about media, communication rights and democratization in emerging democracies, particularly in Brazil. Earlier in his career, he served as a congressional aide in Brazil's House of Representatives. In 2004, he was one of the participants of the international project "Global Implications of Media Industry Consolidation," sponsored by the University of Georgia's Peabody Center for Media and Society and supported by the Ford Foundation. Mauro has also worked as a consultant for Freedom House in the development of its 2006 and 2007 Freedom of the Press in the World reports.

Mauro earned a Ph.D. in communication from the University of California, San Diego, and a master's degree in political science and bachelor's degree in communication, both from the University of Brasilia.