Paul L. Cejas (born January 4, 1943) is a Cuban-born American businessman and former diplomat. A native of Cuba who arrived in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

in 1960, he is chairman and chief executive officer of PLC Investments, Inc., a wholly owned company that manages portfolio investments, and investments in real estate, health care and

venture capital Venture capital (often abbreviated as VC) is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds to start-up company, startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth poten ...

projects. He served as Ambassador to

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

under U.S. President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

. Cejas was founder, chairman and chief executive officer of CareFlorida Health Systems, Inc., the country's largest Hispanic-owned health care company, which merged with Foundation Health of California in 1994.

Life

Cejas was born in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

on January 4, 1943. A graduate of the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

, Cejas earlier this year was listed among the "100 most powerful people in southern Florida" by ''South Florida CEO'' magazine. A retired certified public accountant, Cejas is a former member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He has been extensively involved in community and public service. He serves on the University of Miami Board of Trustees, the Smithsonian Institution's national board and the Latin American Advisory Board of the Tate Museum in London. His previous public service includes being chairman of the Miami-Dade County School Board, a member of the Board of Regents of the Florida State University System, chairman of the Florida Partnership of the Americas, director of the

Miami Art Museum Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...

of Dade County, and trustee of

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest university in Florid ...

, where the School of Architecture building is named in his honor.

DNC criticism

In March 2008, Cejas, a top fundraiser for Hillary Clinton, criticized the Democratic Party's National Committee after the committee penalized Michigan and Florida for holding their primaries early in violation of national party rules, barring their delegates from being seated at the Democratic convention the following summer. Cejas was quoted in ''The New York Times'' as saying, "If you’re not going to count my vote, I’m not going to give you my money," referring to his 2007 contribution of $28,500. Many feel Cejas should hold the Florida legislature more accountable rather than the Democratic National Committee.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cejas, Paul L. 1943 births Living people Florida International University people Hispanic and Latino American diplomats Ambassadors of the United States to Belgium Brookings Institution people