Abelardo L. Valdez is an American lawyer and diplomat. He is currently the President and Vice Chair of the

Council of American Ambassadors The Council of American Ambassadors (CAA) is an association of non-career United States ambassadors. A nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, the CAA comprises over 200 members whose ambassadorial service collectively extends over five decades ...

. He is also a founder of the Council of American Ambassadors' Fellowship Program, which trains undergraduates for careers in diplomacy and international affairs. He practices international law in Washington, DC and San Antonio, TX.

Early life

Valdez was born in Texas, the son of Mexican-American migrant agricultural laborers. He was involved in agricultural work from a young age in Texas, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Career

From 1979 to 1981, Ambassador Valdez served as the United States Ambassador and

Chief of Protocol of the United States In the United States, the chief of protocol is an officer of the United States Department of State responsible for advising the president of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, vice president of the United States, and th ...

under President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

. He also was the Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean of the

US Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...

from 1977 to 1979; General Counsel for the

Inter-American Foundation The Inter-American Foundation, or IAF, is an independent agency of the United States government that funds community-led development in Latin America and the Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas cent ...

from 1973 to 1975; and an attorney for the

Overseas Private Investment Corporation The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) was the United States Government's Development finance institution until it merged with the Development Credit Authority (DCA) of the United States Agency for International Development (U ...

from 1971 to 1973. During his military service, he served as a military aide to President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

. Ambassador Valdez is recognized as one of the original proponents and an architect of the

North American Free Trade Agreement The North American Free Trade Agreement (, TLCAN; , ALÉNA), referred to colloquially in the Anglosphere as NAFTA, ( ) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that created a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The ...

. and of a Western Hemisphere Free Trade Area, and served as an advisor on the NAFTA negotiations. He received his LL.M. degree from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

, J.D. degree from

Baylor Law School Baylor Law School is the oldest law school in Texas. Baylor Law School is affiliated with Baylor University and located in Waco, Texas. The school has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1931 and has been a member of the Associa ...

and a B.S. degree in civil engineering from

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

. He also pursued graduate studies in international law at

The Hague Academy of International Law The Hague Academy of International Law () is a center for high-level education in both public and private international law housed in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. Courses are taught in English and French and, except for External ...

in The Netherlands. Valdez served as an editor of the

Harvard International Law Journal The ''Harvard International Law Journal'' is a biannual academic journal of international law, run and edited by students at Harvard Law School. The Journal is "the oldest and most-cited student-edited journal of international law." The Journal was ...

. He has lectured and written extensively on international trade and investment issues and US-Latin American relations and has been a visiting lecturer or visiting professor at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

, Trinity University and the

University of Santa Clara Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association and the State Bar of Texas. He has served, and continues to serve, as a Director or Trustee of various corporate, professional and educational institutions, including the

US Chamber of Commerce The United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC) is a business association advocacy group and is the largest lobbying group in the United States. The group was founded in April 1912 out of local chambers of commerce at the urging of President Willi ...

, the

Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST) is a United States 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1986 by retired Foreign Service officers, headquartered at the George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Cent ...

, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute,

The American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spring Valley and Tenleytown neighborhoods of Nort ...

, Pan American University Foundation, the Center for International Business of Texas A&M University, and the Development Board of the University of Texas Health Science Center. He also served as the Chairman of the International Committee of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, a member of the Rivlin Commission on the Financial Priorities of the District of Columbia, and an honorary member of the US Christopher Columbus Quincentennial Jubilee Commission.

Awards

In addition to his many board affiliations, Ambassador Valdez has received numerous awards for his public service and has been decorated by King

Juan Carlos I of Spain Juan Carlos I (; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 November 1975 until Abdication of Juan Carlos I, his abdic ...

with the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OYC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and ...

. He has received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Baylor University and the Founder's Award of the American GI Forum.

Personal

He resides in Washington, DC, and Floresville, Texas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valdez, Abelardo L. Living people Texas A&M University alumni Harvard Law School alumni Baylor University alumni American people of Mexican descent Hispanic and Latino American diplomats Year of birth missing (living people) Chiefs of protocol of the United States