Juan Carlos Zapata (born December 9, 1966), is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

businessman, politician and the owner of Zapata Consulting. Prior to the company's inception, Zapata was involved in importing seafood, real estate and other business ventures. He also has a strong background in non-profit management. In addition to Zapata's private sector experience, he has an extensive public service record. In 2002, he became the first Colombian American elected to serve in the Florida Legislature and was subsequently re-elected three times to

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...

. During his time in Tallahassee, Zapata worked on a wide range of issues and developed an expertise in health care policy and budget. He served as Chairman of the Miami-Dade Delegation from 2007 to 2010 and was appointed to Governor Rick Scott's Health and Human Services Transition Team in 2010. Following his time in the State Legislature, Zapata was elected as a County Commissioner in 2012 and became the first Colombian-American to represent Miami-Dade County residents on the Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners. As a Commissioner, Zapata served as the Chair of the Strategic Planning & Government Operations Committee and the Value Adjustment Board. Zapata was also a member of the Metropolitan Services Committee, the Unincorporated Municipal Service Area Committee, and the Metropolitan Planning Organization. Zapata has served on the board for several national organizations and was the past Chair of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) and the National Council of State Legislators (NCSL) Labor and Economic Development Committee. Through his chairmanship of the Miami-Dade County Hospital Governance Task Force, he contributed to the financial turnaround of one of Miami-Dade County's most important assets, Jackson Health System. Zapata attended

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...

, where he received a bachelor's degree in Finance and International Business and was awarded the Torch Award, FIU's highest alumni recognition. Zapata also holds a master's degree in Public Administration from

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 ...

's Kennedy School of Government. Zapata currently resides in

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

References

External links

Miami-Dade County District 11Florida House of Representatives ProfileProject Vote Smart - "Representative Juan C. Zapata - Biography"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zapata, Juan American politicians of Colombian descent Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Florida 1966 births Living people Colombian emigrants to the United States Harvard Kennedy School alumni Florida International University alumni 21st-century members of the Florida Legislature