Richardson Campaign Press Release - Richardson Names Former US Ambassador Ed Romero as National Finance Chair

SANTA FE, NM -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today announced that former US Ambassador to Spain and Andorra Edward L. Romero will serve as the National Finance Chairman for his Presidential campaign.

"Ambassador Romero is a true American success story- a successful businessman, dedicated public servant, Veteran, and a national leader on Hispanic issues and diversity," said Governor Richardson. "His extraordinary life is a tribute to his heritage and his personal character, and I am honored that he has agreed to serve in this critical position. In addition, his political networking and fundraising experience will be a major asset to my campaign."

The Richardson for President National Finance Team is led by Jennifer Yocham Poersch, Linnea Dyer and Colleen Turrentine and is based in Washington, DC.

Ambassador Romero served on the national finance committees for Presidents Carter and Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, and raised money for Presidential candidate John Kerry.

In 1998 Edward L. Romero was nominated by President Bill Clinton and confirmed by the US Senate to serve as US Ambassador to Spain and concurrently served as US Ambassador to Andorra. He served in both of those roles until June 2001.

Edward L. Romero, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is a Korean War veteran and the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Advanced Sciences, Inc., an international environmental engineering and waste management corporation that merged with Commodore Applied Technologies, Inc. Fluent in Spanish, Ambassador Romero has been a member of the U.S. Trade Representative's Services Policy Advisory Committee and has led a number of U.S. delegations to Mexico. During the Carter administration he served on the federal advisory committee for trade negotiations and he was a member of the U.S. delegation to the Helsinki Accords. In addition to his business success, Ambassador Romero is a well-known leader in the Hispanic community. He is a founder of the Hispanic Culture Foundation and the National Hispanic Cultural Center in New Mexico. He has served on the President's Hispanic Advisory Committee, was a founding member of the Albuquerque Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and serves on the board of directors of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. In 1989, Ambassador Romero was named National Hispanic Businessman of the Year by the Hispanic Chamber of the Commerce. He is a founder of Valor Telecommunications Southwest, LLC, and has recently served on the boards of Bank of America, RTM International, the Hispanic Council on International Relations, and other boards.

Edward L. Romero was born on January 2, 1934, to a family whose ancestors arrived in North America from Spain in 1598. He studied at Los Angeles State College and Citrus College. He is married to Cayetana García. They have four children and eight grandchildren.