Ambassador Mari Carmen Aponte |
Ambassador Mari Carmen Aponte received her B.A. from Rosemont College (1968), M.A. from Villanova University (1970) and J.D. from Temple University School of Law (1976). Ambassador Aponte, who works as a consultant on matters involving management and fundraising, was previously the Acting Assistant Secretary for the Western hemisphere for the U.S. Department of State. Working in that role from 2016 to 2017, Ms. Aponte served as the top American diplomat for Latin America. Before that, Aponte was the U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador from 2010 to 2016. In that role, she was responsible for managing all U.S. government operations in El Salvador, including those involving economic development, law enforcement and foreign assistance. Ambassador Aponte was a member of the board of directors for the Oriental Financial Group from 2005 to 2010 while also working as a lawyer and consultant in Washington, D.C. She served as executive director of the Puerto Rico Affairs Administration from 2001 to 2004. Prior to that, Ambassador Aponte worked as a consultant and lawyer for several firms and was a White House fellow, assisting the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Throughout her career, she has been active with the American Bar and Hispanic Bar associations, serving on various committees, having been the first woman elected to lead the Hispanic National Bar Association. Ambassador Aponte has also served with myriad other boards and community organizations, including the Latino Advisory Council for the Smithsonian National Museum of Washington, D.C., the Kennedy Center Advisory Board and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. She is currently chair of the Community Capital Corporation, a member of the management board of directors for the International Association of Women Judges, a board member for the International Senior Lawyers Project and member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In recognition of lifetime commitment to the service of others, she has received honorary degrees from the University of the District of Columbia School of Law and Temple University in Philadelphia. Ambassador Aponte was appointed to the Board of Visitors of the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, in 2019. |