Overview
Ambassador Manuel Rocha is the Senior International Business Advisor in the Miami office of Foley & Lardner. Amb. Rocha has ample and diverse experience in assisting companies with their global expansion and foreign direct investments, including working with the largest private equity firm in South America on its acquisition of companies in the region and assisting Chinese companies enter the Latin American market. Of particular import is his knowledge of Latin America and hemispheric relations, due to his public and private sector roles held over decades of working in and with the region. Prior to joining Foley, Amb. Rocha served as the Senior Vice President for Global Corporate Affairs for Xcoal, a privately held company specializing in the export of U.S. coal to major markets around the world. He also served as Senior Vice President at Canadian Barrick Gold Corp., another company in the extractive sector. During his tenure with the company, he served as President of Barrick’s subsidiary in the Dominican Republic, a $5 billion investment to develop the largest gold mine in the Americas.
Before joining the private sector, Amb. Rocha had a distinguished career, spanning more than two decades, in the U.S. Foreign Service, having served in numerous roles in both Washington, D.C. and overseas. From 2000-2002, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia, leading efforts to combat illicit drug production and trafficking in the country. From 1997-2000, Ambassador Rocha served as U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Buenos Aires, responsible for the running of the U.S. Embassy in Argentina. In addition to these postings, he served as Deputy Principal Officer at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana and in the U.S. embassies in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Italy, and Mexico. He also served in the White House as the Director of Inter-American Affairs at the National Security Council from 1994-1995.
Recognition
- Recipient, Condor de los Andes, Republic of Bolivia, 2002
- Recipient, U.S. President’s Award for Sustained Superior Accomplishment in the Conduct of Foreign Policy of the United States Government, 2001
- Recipient, Order of San Martin, Republic of Argentina, 2000
Education
- Georgetown University (M.A., International Relations, 1978)
- Harvard University (M.A., Public Administration, 1976)
- Yale University (B.A., cum laude, 1973)
Professional Affiliations
- Member, Council on Foreign Relations, New York, 2004-Present
- Former Board Member, International Advisory Board of the University of Miami, 2005-2010
- Former Member, Dr. Henry Kissinger’s International Council on Terrorism, 2004
- Former Advisor, U.S. Military Commander at USSOUTHCOM Headquarters, 2004-2012
Capabilities
- Sectors
- Energy
- Practice Areas
- Government Solutions
- Immigration, Nationality & Consular Law