America's Public Television Stations

As senior vice president of government affairs for Edison International and Southern California Edison, one of the nation’s largest investor-owned utility companies, Ambassador Vasquez led the company’s public affairs and government relations at the city, county, State and federal levels of government during one of the most transformative periods in the history of the energy industry. He led the Edison International political action committee and served as a member of the corporate philanthropy committee and the corporation’s executive management committee.
 
From 2002 to 2006, Ambassador Vasquez served as Director of the United States Peace Corps and became the third longest serving Director in the Peace Corps’ 60-year history. During his tenure, the Peace Corps established the Peace Corps Global AIDS Program which resulted in the development of new country programs with a focus on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). He also led the opening of the first Peace Corps program in Mexico and directed the entry or re-entry into 21 Peace Corps countries.
 
From 2006 to 2009, Ambassador Vasquez served as U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies in Rome, Italy. His effective and decisive leadership prompted the Director of the UN World Food Program to name Ambassador Vasquez as a Champion Against World Hunger. He led major reforms at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and worked with leadership at the World Food Program to establish new safety standards and greater accountability.
 
Ambassador Vasquez’s public service career includes service at the city, county, State and federal levels of government. He has served as an appointee of three California governors and was appointed by President George H.W. Bush to two federal commissions including the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships.
 
Ambassador Vasquez currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Public Policy Institute of California, the Board of Trustees of Chapman University, the Board of Governors of the Orange County Community Foundation, the National Advisory Board of the Salvation Army and serves as chair of the Advisory Board to the Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Program. He has previously served on the board of KOCE-PBS in Orange County, California, the Orangewood Foundation and the California Film Commission.
 
Ambassador Vasquez is a graduate of the University of Redlands and is the recipient of six honorary doctorate degrees.