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2018 Council of American Ambassadors Spring Conference in Washington, DC

Ambassador Roger Noriega discusses Latin America at the Council of American Ambassadors' Spring Conference, "Global Tour d'Horizon." Ambassador Noriega is a former Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemispheres and former ambassador to the Organization of American States. He is currently a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. The presentation was moderated by Senior Vice President of CAA, Ambassador G. Philip Hughes.

Ambassador Roger F. Noriega has more than two decades of public policy experience focusing on U.S.interests in the Western Hemisphere. Twice appointed by President George W. Bush (and confirmed by the U.S. Senate) and with a ten-year career on Capitol Hill, Ambassador Noriega’s breadth of experience and contacts offer strategic vision and practical insight on the Americas. He is a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) and managing director of the consultant firm, Vision Americas LLC. As Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs (July 2003 to October 2005), Ambassador Noriega managed a 3,000-person team in Washington and 50 diplomatic posts to design and implement political and economic strategies in Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.He also helped design and execute an annual plan for the effective use of $1.7 billion in U.S. economic assistance in two dozen countries. As U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) from August 2001 to July 2003,Ambassador Noriega coordinated complex and sensitive multilateral diplomacy in a 34-member international organization to bolster trade, fight illicit drugs and defend democracy. On Capitol Hill, Ambassador Noriega counseled Congressional leaders on all aspects of U.S. interests in the Americas, drafted historic legislation and oversaw U.S. aid programs, the Peace Corps and international narcotics affairs. From 1997 to 2001, he was a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff of Chairman Jesse A. Helms (R-NC), and from 1994 to 1997, he served on the House International Relations Committee staff of Chairman Benjamin A. Gilman (R-NY). He has a B.A. degree from Washburn University of Topeka, Kansas. Ambassador Noriega has been decorated by the Governments of Nicaragua and of Peru and has received numerous awards for public service from organizations committed to the promotion of democracy in the Americas. He serves on the advisory board of the Canadian American Border Trade Partnership and United Against a Nuclear Iran.