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L. Felice Gorordo

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L. Felice Gorordo
Gorordo in 2021
Acting United States Executive Director of the World Bank[1]
U.S. Alternate Executive Director of the World Bank
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 10, 2023
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byAdriana Kugler
Personal details
Born
Leonardo Felice Gorordo

(born 1982)
Miami, Florida, United States
SpouseBianca Ferrer Gorordo[2]
Children3
Parent(s)Francisco J. Gorordo
Martha Gorordo Mohr (née Serra)[3][4]
EducationGeorgetown University
Complutense University of Madrid

Leonardo Felice Gorordo is an American entrepreneur, investor and diplomat, currently serving as the United States Alternate Executive Director of the World Bank. He assumed this position on May 10, 2023, and has been acting as the U.S. Executive Director of the World Bank since September 2023.[5][1][6] He is best known for his work on Cuba–United States relations through both advocacy and public service. Gorordo's career includes service in the White House under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, as well as an advisor to President Joe Biden's Cancer Initiative.[7][8][9]

Additionally, Gorordo has held various leadership roles in the private sector, most notably as the CEO of eMerge Americas.

Early life and education

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Gorordo was born and raised in Miami, FL, to a Cuban-American family and attended Belen Jesuit Preparatory School.[7][10][11] From 2000 to 2001, he served as International Vice-president of Key Club International, an international service program for high school students in 38 countries.[8][12] Gorordo attended Georgetown University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in government in 2005.[11] He also studied at the Complutense University of Madrid in Spain.[13] While in college, he was an intern in the White House Office of Political Affairs during the Administration of President George W. Bush.[14] As a sophomore at Georgetown University, Gorordo co-founded (with a group of college students) Roots of Hope (Raíces de Esperanza), a non-profit focused on youth empowerment in Cuba through technology and entrepreneurship.[15][11][16]

Public service

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Upon graduating from college, Gorordo served in the Administration of President George W. Bush as an aide to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, and later as Special Assistant to the Director of the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services Col. Emilio T. Gonzalez.[17] From 2006 to 2007, Gorordo was detailed to the U.S. Department of State and served in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.[18][19] He also served as an advisor to the President & CEO of Jackson Health System.[20] In 2011, Gorordo was appointed by President Barack Obama as one of fifteen White House Fellows.[21] From 2011 to 2012, he served as the White House Fellow to the President's Domestic Policy Advisor Cecilia Muñoz, and worked in the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs.[22] In this capacity, he worked on Latino and immigration outreach and led the organizing of the first “White House Conference on Connecting the Americas. ” The conference included the participation of then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, several cabinet secretaries and high-level business and government leaders from throughout the Americas in lead up to the 2012 Summit of the Americas.[23]

In 2021, Gorordo advocated for the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and attended the White House bill signing ceremony with President Joe Biden.[24][25] America Magazine reported that Gorordo was under consideration to be appointed U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See by President Biden.[26]

As CEO of eMerge Americas, Gorordo has been instrumental in connecting Florida's major tech hubs of Miami, Tampa and Orlando in 2021 to work on a more open business environment for startup ecosystem building.[27] In April 2022, in collaboration with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Gorordo helped to organize a conference for mayors and private sector leaders to discuss the ways cities can benefit from digital assets and blockchain technologies.[28]

World Bank

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On July 18, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Gorordo to be the U.S. Alternate Executive Director of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.[29]

President Biden renominated him on January 23, 2023, to be considered under the new session of Congress.[30] Gorordo was favorably reported by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on December 7, 2022, and again on March 8, 2023.[31][32] The entire Senate confirmed his nomination on May 10, 2023 [33]

Gorordo serves as the U.S. representative on the Board of the World Bank Group, overseeing the International Bank for Reconstruction & Development (IBRD), International Development Association (IDA), International Finance Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).[6] In this role, his responsibilities include participating in the World Bank Board Audit Committee and Committee on Development Effectiveness, as well as overseeing operations and policy-setting for the organization's global workforce.[1] Gorordo is also involved in reviewing and approving projects with annual financial commitments of approximately $130 billion in loans, grants, equity investments, and guarantees.[1]

Gorordo has worked on initiatives to mobilize private capital and engage venture capital and private equity investors in supporting Sustainable Development Goals.[34][35][36] He has advocated for human rights, including LGBTQ rights, stating that "LGBTQ rights are human rights, and human rights are LGBTQ rights."[1] Gorordo has been involved in supporting Ukraine following Russia's invasion, working to engage the private sector in the country's rebuilding efforts.[37] He has also engaged minority-owned businesses to participate in World Bank projects and programs, and has organized events at the World Bank focused on celebrating diversity and addressing issues such as racism and antisemitism.[38]

In addition, Gorordo has supported initiatives to leverage new technologies and financing models to encourage investments in research and development, including efforts aimed at cancer research.[39] As part of his role on the World Bank Board, Gorordo has conducted field visits in Africa and Asia to assess Bank projects and meet with various stakeholders, including government officials, business leaders, and civil society representatives.[40][41]

Entrepreneurship

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Following the White House Fellowship,[42] Gorordo joined Clearpath, (acquired by L1BRE), a venture-backed tech company focused on revolutionizing the paper-based immigration filing process – just as TurboTax transformed tax filing.[43] In 2014, he became CEO & President of Clearpath, which leveraged patented-technology to enable individuals to file their own immigration applications.[44] He established partnerships with LegalZoom, H&R Block,[17] and Univision,[45] and successfully sold the company in 2016 to L1BRE. After the acquisition of Clearpath, Gorordo served as CEO of L1BRE, a tech company with operations in the U.S. and Mexico.[46] In 2018, Gorordo was named CEO of eMerge Americas, a venture-backed platform which seeks to foster innovation and entrepreneurship across the Americas, and transform Miami into becoming the tech hub of the Americas.[7][47] In 2019, he led the organizing of the sixth annual eMerge Americas conference, which attracted more than 16,000 attendees and 400 participating companies from over 40 countries.[48] Gorordo also served as co-host for AOL co-founder and Revolution LLC's CEO & Chairman Steve Case’s “Rise of the Rest” Tour through South Florida in 2019.[49]

The South Florida Business Journal recognized Gorordo with the Ultimate CEO Award in 2023.[50]

Gorordo also served as a venture partner at private equity fund I Squared Capital.[51]

Advocacy

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U.S.- Cuba relations

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In 2003, Gorordo co-founded Roots of Hope after traveling to Cuba for the first time with the purpose of building bridges between young people on and off the island.[52] He built and led a network[53] with over 5,000 students and young professional members across 50 universities in the U.S.[54] He also organized 10 youth leadership conferences at leading universities, including Harvard, Georgetown, Princeton, and Cornell. In 2009, Gorordo served as an advisor to Grammy winner Juanes and helped organize the historic "Peace without Borders" (Paz Sin Fronteras) concert in Havana, Cuba, with 1.2 million young people in attendance.[55] Gorordo contributed to the re-establishment of U.S.-Cuba diplomatic ties,[56] and accompanied then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry[57] to the re-opening of the Embassy of the United States, Havana in 2015,[58] and President Barack Obama[59] on his historic trip to Cuba in 2016[60] (the first sitting U.S. president to travel to the island since President Calvin Coolidge in 1928).[61]

On July 11, 2021, peaceful protests occurred in Cuba, inspired by the song Patria y Vida.[62] In the aftermath of these events, President Joe Biden invited a group of Cuban-American community activists, including Gorordo, to a meeting at the White House.[63] The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the political situation in Cuba and explore ways to support the Cuban people in circumventing censorship and accessing free media and internet services.[62]

Cancer Moonshot

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In 2015, Gorordo and his mother participated in the pilgrimage trip to Cuba with Pope Francis, which led to her being blessed by the Pope[4] and reuniting with her family on the island after 46 years.[64][65] After losing his mother to pancreatic cancer, Gorordo became involved with then-Vice President Joe Biden’s “moonshot to cure cancer.”[66] In 2016, he helped in the organizing of the White House Cancer Moonshot Summits.[67] In 2018, Gorordo joined the Biden Cancer Initiative and led the organizing of more than 450 Biden Cancer Community Summits across the U.S. to focus national attention on creating actionable solutions in the fight against cancer.[20] In 2018, Gorordo also served as an Entrepreneur-In-Residence at StartUp Health, a venture fund and accelerator investing in “Health Moonshots” – like curing cancer – and building a portfolio of digital health companies in over 20 countries.[68]

Affiliations

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Gorordo has appeared as a guest commentator on CNN,[69] BBC,[70] NPR,[71] MSNBC,[72] NBC Nightly News, Univision,[73] and Telemundo.[74] His views and articles have also been published in Forbes,[17] Newsweek, The Economist, The Hill,[75] The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.[76] He previously served as Senior Fellow at the Georgetown University Beeck Center on Social Impact and Innovation.[15] Felice was selected to serve as a delegate for the 2020 Democratic National Convention, as well as the 2024 Democratic National Convention.[77] He also served as National Co-chair for Catholics for Biden[78] and member of the Biden for President National Finance Committee.[79][80][81] Felice serves as a Lifetime Member of the Council on Foreign Relations[82] and serves on the Democratic National Committee's National Finance Committee, Latino Victory Fund National Committee, and the boards of the American Business Immigration Coalition, the Immigration Partnership and Coalition Fund[83][84] and Baptist Health Foundation.[85]

Personal life

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Gorordo is married to Bianca Ferrer and has three children, Catalina, David, and Marina Lucía. The Gorordos live in Miami, Florida.[3][4][2]

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Lavers, Michael K. (2024-04-30). "New World Bank US executive director: LGBTQ rights are human rights". Washington blade. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b “Florida Residents Directory:"Leonardo Felice Gorordo”
  3. ^ a b “Mumu Fund”
  4. ^ a b c Gomez, Ivonne (December 2, 2015). "Martha Serra Mohr, who inspired empowerment in Cuba, dies at 56". Miami Herald. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  5. ^ "L. Felice Gorordo — International Bank for Reconstruction and Development".
  6. ^ a b "L. Felice Gorordo Alternate Executive Director United States". World Bank. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Rogers, Bruce (May 23, 2019). "Felice Gorordo Working To Make Miami A Global Hub For Venture-Backed Business StartUps". Forbes. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  8. ^ a b John P. Dugan (2017). Leadership Theory: Cultivating Critical Perspectives. John Wiley & Sons. p. 186. ISBN 978-1-11886-430-2.
  9. ^ “The Washington Times:"Topic - Felice Gorordo”
  10. ^ “Wolverines: Belen Jesuit Alumni Magazine (Felice Gorordo - p.27)”
  11. ^ a b c “A new voice in Miami: Felice Gorordo's Roots of Hope”
  12. ^ “Key Club International:"Former Key Clubber starts his own nonprofit”
  13. ^ "Universidad Complutense de Madrid Madrid Area, Spain: "Alumni US"". Complutense University of Madrid. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  14. ^ Vogel, Mike (April 30, 2013). "Snapshots of Florida's Hispanic Community". Florida Trend. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  15. ^ a b “The Hoya: Rethinking social impact”
  16. ^ “Kiwanis International Magazine:"Key Club Alum Felice Gorordo turns enthusiasm into action”
  17. ^ a b c Joeveer, Mamie (March 14, 2015). "CEO Of Startup Hopes To Empower Legal Immigrants Through Online Document Filing System". Forbes. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  18. ^ “Cuba Study Group: "Felice Gorordo Profile”
  19. ^ Schoon, Robert (January 29, 2014). "TurboTax for Immigration Paperwork: Clearpath's Latino CEO Seeks to Make the Process Easier". Latin Post. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  20. ^ a b “Biden Care Initiative/Staff:"Felice Gorordo, Advisor”
  21. ^ “The White House - Office of Communications:"WHITE HOUSE APPOINTS 2011-2012 CLASS OF WHITE HOUSE FELLOWS (September 7, 2011) ”
  22. ^ Rabin, Charles (June 2, 2012). "Airport director says MIA's new immigration, customs facility faces federal staffing shortfall". Miami Herald. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  23. ^ “The Obama White House:"White House Conference on Connecting the Americas: Part 1”
  24. ^ "Why this tech leader believes everyone can benefit from Miami tech". Miami Business Journal.
  25. ^ "Infrastructure bill a bipartisan triumph. DeSantis should accept funds Florida badly needs". Miami Herald.
  26. ^ "Who will Joe Biden send to Rome? 8 top contenders for U.S. ambassador to the Vatican". America Magazine. 12 April 2021.
  27. ^ Coffey, Lauren (2021-11-18). "Synapse Florida teams up with Miami-based eMerge Americas to further boost Florida's startup scene". Tampa Bay Business Journal.
  28. ^ Portero, Ashley (2022-03-16). "eMerge to host crypto summit with U.S. Conference of Mayors". Miami Inno.
  29. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate". The White House. 2022-07-18.
  30. ^ "L. Felice Gorordo — International Bank for Reconstruction and Development". Congress.gov. 2023-05-10.
  31. ^ "PN148 — L. Felice Gorordo — International Bank for Reconstruction and Development". Congress.gov. 2023-05-10.
  32. ^ "PN2387 — L. Felice Gorordo — International Bank for Reconstruction and Development". Congress.gov. 2023-01-03.
  33. ^ "PN148 — L. Felice Gorordo — International Bank for Reconstruction and Development". Congress.gov. 2023-05-10.
  34. ^ "500 Global Brings Policy, Tech and Venture Capital Together for the Next Decade of Innovation". Financial Post. 2023-09-05.
  35. ^ "Preview of major themes from IMF-World Bank week in Marrakesh - IMF-World Bank Week 2023". Atlantic Council TV. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  36. ^ Donovan, Kimberly; Nikoladze, Maia; Goldin, Nicole (22 September 2023). Transatlantic Economic Statecraft Different Approaches, Shared Risk (PDF). Atlantic Council. ISBN 9781619772885.
  37. ^ "U.S. and Japan Contribute to Ukraine Trust Fund | World Bank Group Guarantees | MIGA". www.miga.org. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  38. ^ "National Minority Supplier Development Council CEO Ying McGuire at the World Bank – January 31, 2024" (PDF). www.worldbank.org. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  39. ^ Mageli, Sara (2024-08-23). "The Future of Cancer Care". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  40. ^ "World Bank Group Executive Directors note progress and re-affirm support to South Africa and Namibia". World Bank. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  41. ^ "World Bank Group Executive Directors Conclude Landmark Visit to Central Asia". World Bank. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  42. ^ “Talented Young People Are Choosing the Private Sector Over Government”
  43. ^ Alcón, Maria Eugenia (May 15, 2015). "Clearpath CEO Felice Gorordo Aims to Simplify Immigration Applications". NBC News. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  44. ^ “St. Augustine:"Online firm seeks to become immigration “TurboTax"”
  45. ^ “Arriba Valle Central”
  46. ^ Reiser, Emon (June 5, 2018). "eMerge Americas announces new CEO". BizJournals. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  47. ^ “Miami Herald:"eMerge Americas conference is getting a new leader. The old one isn't going far”
  48. ^ “Miami Herald:"Our success is Miami’s success.’ eMerge Americas to open with new leader, same vision ”
  49. ^ “Miami Herald:"Former AOL head praises Miami startup scene: ‘There’s a hunger here, a scrappiness.”
  50. ^ Zbar, Jeff (2023-08-02). "Ultimate CEO Insights: eMerge Americas' Felice Gorordo on making the world a better place". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  51. ^ "Felice Gorordo". TwinGlobal.
  52. ^ “Non-profit Quarterly:"Roots of Hope Charts a New Course for Cuban-Americans and Cuba”
  53. ^ “BEST GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION Raices de Esperanza (Roots of Hope) ”
  54. ^ “Generation gap: Renewed ties expose painful Cuban-American rift ”
  55. ^ “The Economist:" If music be the food of love...”
  56. ^ “Gulf News:"Obama’s Miami connections helped smooth path to meeting with Castro ”
  57. ^ “Miami Herald”
  58. ^ “Millennial Monitor:" ”
  59. ^ Adams, David (December 21, 2014). "Young Cuban-American groups emerge as Obama allies". Reuters. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  60. ^ “The White House - Office of the Press Secretary:"Readout of the President’s Meeting with Cuban-American Leaders”
  61. ^ “Spring Break in Havana, Obama headed to Cuba”
  62. ^ a b "Biden assures Cuban Americans, face to face, he is committed to empowering the Cuban people". Miami Herald.
  63. ^ "Background Press Call by a Senior Administration Official on Cuba". The White House. 2021-07-30. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  64. ^ “NBC News:"Bridging the Gap With Young Cuban Generation through 'Roots of Hope'”
  65. ^ “CNN:"Cancer victim returns to Cuba to see Pope Francis”
  66. ^ “Miami Herald: Op-ed”
  67. ^ “El Nuevo Herald:"A decisive battle against cancer”
  68. ^ “Health Transformer:"From Pain to Peace & Purpose”
  69. ^ “Improving Cuba's Internet Access”
  70. ^ “US visa-free residency for Cubans ends”
  71. ^ “Trump Cuts Back Travel, Remittances To Cuba. A Lot Of Cuban-Americans Won't Be Happy. ”
  72. ^ “Generational divide among Cuban-Americans on US-Cuba policy shift”
  73. ^ “Univision: Biden’s Case for Investing in Education”
  74. ^ “Telemundo:"Comienza evento tecnológico "Emerge Americas 2019"”
  75. ^ "This is our moment to end cancer as we know it". The Hill. 16 February 2022.
  76. ^ “Young Cubans follow in footsteps of Payá and Cepero”
  77. ^ Bridges, C. A. "Do Florida Democratic delegates have to vote for Biden now that he dropped out? Your questions answered". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  78. ^ "Biden y Trump en busca del voto católico". TeleMundo. 21 October 2020.
  79. ^ Córdoba, José de (17 October 2020). "Trump Campaign Battles Democrats for Latin Votes in Florida". The Wall Street Journal.
  80. ^ "Exclusive: Biden Campaign Spent $125 Million on Latino Voters, Who Helped Him Win Arizona". Newsweek. 7 November 2020.
  81. ^ Univision: Biden campaign switches focus to November, asking who is the right man for a crisis?
  82. ^ "Members of the CFR". Council on Foreign Relations.
  83. ^ Miami Herald: Out front or out of sight, Rubio takes Miami heat for immigration work
  84. ^ Impact: BOARD OF DIRECTORS [usurped]
  85. ^ "Foundation Leadership". Baptist Health Foundation.
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