After a more than 20-year diplomatic career in the U.S. Department of State, Richard A. Figueroa was appointed by Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño as Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA.) At the helm of PRFAA, Figueroa advises the Governor and also serves as his chief representative before federal, state, and local governments throughout the nation. PRFAA has nationwide coverage, with staff and offices in Washington, D.C., New York City, Orlando, and Chicago.
Prior to joining PRFAA, Figueroa had diplomatic postings in Spain, Russia, and Belgium, where he worked at the U.S. Mission to the European Union, as well as domestic assignments in various bureaus of the U.S. State Department. Among his career highlights was an assignment to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow’s political section, where he reported on internal political developments when Russia held the first parliamentary elections since the time of the Czars.
From 1995 to 1998, Figueroa worked in the political section of the U.S. Mission to the European Union, fostering cooperation with the EU in post-conflict Rwanda, as well as joint initiatives in the Baltic region. He also was a member of the team that negotiated the agreement between the U.S. and the EU regarding U.S. sanctions on Cuba, Libya, and Iran.
In 1998, Figueroa also worked as political advisor in the Office of Cuban Affairs during the turbulent period that covered the Elian González crisis. Figueroa also has worked on various trade and political disputes, including a high-profile dispute between the U.S. and the EU over competing satellite navigation systems. He served for four years as a Public Diplomacy Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Spain.
In August 2007, Figueroa was assigned to the State Department’s Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs where he monitored macroeconomic developments in Europe and coordinated closely with the Treasury Department on responses to financial crises in the region. He also served as the head of the U.S. delegation at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Working Group on Bribery, chairing meetings with other U.S. government agencies involved in investigating and developing cases under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
A distinguished public servant, Mr. Figueroa is the recipient of five Superior Honor Awards, including one received in 2006 for outstanding public outreach in Spain. He was nominated in 2005 for the Secretary of State’s Public Speaking Award. That same year, in recognition of his public speaking abilities and outreach to Hispanics, he was named a Hometown Diplomat by the Department of State.
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on August 1, 1959, Figueroa attended primary and secondary schools in Puerto Rico, and then went on to earn a B.A. in History from Yale University in 1981 and a Juris Doctorate (JD) from Columbia University School of Law in 1984. He is admitted to the Florida Bar and practiced law for two years prior to entering the Foreign Service in 1986. He speaks four languages: English, Spanish, Russian, and French.
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