New Chair of Pacific Council's Mexico Initiative Announced
Dear Pacific Council Members,
It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Dr. Richard D. Downie as Chair of the Pacific Council on International Policy’s Mexico Initiative. Dr. Downie succeeds the Honorable Michael C. Camuñez in the position.
Mr. Camuñez, President and CEO of Monarch Global Strategies LLC and longtime member of the Pacific Council's Board of Directors, incubated and led the Mexico Initiative from 2017 to 2022. The Pacific Council is grateful for Mr. Camuñez’s visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to this essential bilateral relationship. As chair, Mr. Camuñez developed strong ties between the Pacific Council and counterpart organizations in Mexico, served as a designated representative of the Pacific Council to the Mexico-Los Angeles Commission (MEXLA), led delegation visits to Mexico City and the U.S.-Mexico border at El Paso, spearheaded the First 100 Days Memo on U.S.-Mexico Policy, led a campaign for vaccine diplomacy between California and Mexico, and served as an early champion for the U.S.-Mexico security cooperation project. Mr. Camuñez will continue to serve on the Pacific Council’s Mexico Advisory Committee and Board of Directors.
Dr. Richard D. Downie will continue the Mexico Initiative’s efforts to provide a West Coast perspective on U.S.-Mexico relations and to promote regional and binational collaboration. Since 2021, Dr. Downie has led the Mexico Initiative’s U.S.-Mexico security cooperation project, which emphasizes the relationship between migration, armed violence, and cross-border arms trafficking. Throughout the rest of 2022, the project will build public awareness, facilitate expert dialogue, and inform and encourage policymakers to adopt approaches for mutual security benefit. In 2023, the project will publish a report highlighting opportunities for bilateral cooperation. In 2022 and 2023, the Mexico Initiative will approach a wide variety of topics including AI and technology development in Mexico and California, shared challenges and opportunities around food and water security, and the effectiveness of subnational diplomacy and cooperation.
Dr. Downie is a distinguished public servant who is regularly featured as an international relations expert by national media outlets. Following a career in the U.S. Army, Dr. Downie was Director of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies for nine years. He is currently the President of the World Affairs Council of Orange County and is on the faculty of the Thayer Leader Development Group at the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point as well as the Washington D.C.-based Defense and Strategic Program of Missouri State University. A graduate of West Point, he holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Southern California.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jerrold D. Green
President and CEO
