Ambassador Charles Shapiro

ADL hosts luncheon with the new President of the Institute of the Americas

Date: January 6, 2012

The ADL San Diego Regional Office hosted a lunch to welcome Ambassador Charles Shapiro, new President of the Institute of the Americas, to San Diego.

Established in 1983, the Institute is an independent, inter-American organization that promotes cooperation between the public and private sectors to improve the economic, political and social well-being of people in the Americas.

Ambassador Charles Shapiro served temporarily in Trinidad to organize the logistics for the participation of President Obama in the Summit of the Americas in April 2009.  His prior positions have included Coordinator, Western Hemisphere Trade Task Force; Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Western Hemisphere Affairs; Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Andes; U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela; Coordinator for Cuban Affairs; and Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy, Chile.

Among the issues discussed during the luncheon were the Chavez regime, the influence of Iran in Latin America, the shrinking Jewish community in Venezuela, and how the United States is perceived in Latin-American societies.

ADL San Diego has collaborated with the Institute of the Americas on several programs.  We look forward to future partnerships on issues of mutual concern to the community.