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Robert A. Mandell

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Robert A. Mandell
21st United States Ambassador to Luxembourg
In office
2011–2015
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byCynthia Stroum
Succeeded byDavid McKean
Chairman of the Florida Environmental Regulation Commission
In office
1987–1990
Personal details
Born1947 (age 76–77)[1]
Miami, Florida[2]
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseJulie Walker Mandell
Children4, including 2 stepchildren
Residence(s)Winter Park, Florida
Alma materUniversity of Florida
OccupationReal estate development
Lawyer

Robert A. "Bobby" Mandell (born 1947) is a Florida attorney and businessman who also served as the United States Ambassador to Luxembourg from 2011 to 2015.

A graduate of the University of Florida (1969) and the university's Fredric G. Levin College of Law (1972), Mandell practiced law before joining his father's Florida real estate development business, of which he eventually became owner and operator. In addition, he was active in government as a member of the President's Export Council, the Florida Environmental Regulation Commission, and the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority.

Mandell was a donor to the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama. In 2011, Obama nominated Mandell to be Ambassador to Luxembourg. He was confirmed by the United States Senate, and served until 2015.

Education

Robert Mandell received a bachelor's degree in advertising from the University of Florida in 1969.[3] In 1972, Mandell received his Juris Doctor degree from University of Florida's Fredric G. Levin College of Law.[4] He graduated Harvard Business School's Owner/President Management Executive Program in 2000.[3]

Career

Following law school in 1972, Mandell worked as a lawyer in Punta Gorda, Florida.[5] He was partner in the firm Wotitzky, Wotitzky, Mandell, Batsel, Wilkins and Frohlich and left active practice in 1983.[5][6] He is peer-evaluated as "AV" (preeminent) in Martindale-Hubbell's legal listing.[7]

Mandell began work as a laborer at his father's Central Florida real estate development business, Greater Construction Corporation, in 1984.[5][8] Greater Construction named Mandell president of the company in 1989 after his father, Lester Mandell, became chairman.[5] Robert Mandell and four partners bought the company from Lester Mandell in 1998, and the company was later renamed Greater Homes.[6] Mandell served as the company's chairman and CEO until national homebuilder Meritage Homes Corporation bought it in 2005, after which he served as president of Meritage Homes of Central Florida.[3][6][9] Additionally, Mandell was chairman and CEO of Greater Properties Inc., a commercial real estate development firm.[3]

In addition to those roles, Mandell has served on boards, commissions and authorities in the private and public sectors. In 1987 Republican Gov. Bob Martinez named Mandell to the Florida Environmental Regulation Commission, where he served as chairman until 1990.[10][11] Martinez then appointed Mandell to the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority,[12] where he served from 1990 to 1995, held the chairman and vice chairman posts,[3] and was known for reducing tolls and successfully pushing Florida's E-Pass electronic toll collection system.[13][14] He has served on the boards of Florida Hospital in Orlando,[11] Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in LaJolla,[15] and Vermont Studio Center,[3] among others. Mandell sits on the advisory board of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History,[16] the board of directors for Human Rights First[17] and the Wilson National Cabinet of the Wilson Center.[18]

President Barack Obama named Mandell to the President's Export Council in 2010.[11]

Ambassadorship

File:US Supreme Court Justices in Luxembourg.jpg
Ambassador Robert A. Mandell (second from right), Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel (right), President of the Court of Justice of the European Union Vassilios Skouris (third from left) meet with (from left) U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (retired), Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Ambassador's Residence in Luxembourg City.

President Barack Obama nominated Mandell as the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg in June 2011.[19] As with other political appointees who have not previously served in such posts, several media outlets noted that Mandell had no diplomatic experience and had been a prominent fundraiser for Obama.[20] Mandell donated $30,000 to Obama's campaign and $50,000 to his inauguration committee in 2008.[21] The U.S. Senate approved the nomination in a voice vote on October 18, 2011.[19]

Mandell was sworn in as the 21st U.S. ambassador to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on October 25, 2011.[22] He presented his credentials on November 16, 2011.[1] When Mandell arrived in Luxembourg, he filled the post left vacant following the resignation of Seattle venture capitalist Cynthia Stroum.[23] Mandell resigned his ambassadorship in February 2015, saying it was time for him and his wife to return to private life in the U.S.[24]

Luxembourg Grand Duke Henri honored Mandell by naming him a Commander of the Order of the Oak Crown on February 12, 2015.[25] The order recognizes people for exceptional civil and military services.[25]

Later career

After leaving his ambassadorship, Mandell continued to serve on the board of directors of Human Rights First[26] and joined the Council of American Ambassadors.[27] In 2016, he was a prominent supporter of Hillary Clinton for president.[28]

Personal life

Mandell is married to Julie Walker Mandell and has four children, including two stepchildren.[3] He lives in Winter Park, Florida.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b "Robert A. Mandell". Office of the Historian. United States Department of State. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  2. ^ Markham's Negligence Counsel. Vol. 40. Stamford, CT: Markham Publishing Corporation,. 1983. p. 185.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Robert A. Mandell". Council of American Ambassadors. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  4. ^ "March 31, 2015 – U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg Robert Mandell". www.law.ufl.edu. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d "Moving up at Greater Construction". Orlando Sentinel. 27 February 1989. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  6. ^ a b c Snyder, Jack (25 August 2005). "National firm buys local home builder". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  7. ^ "Robert A. Mandell". Martindale-Hubbell. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  8. ^ DeSouza, Chris (29 November 2013). "To Orlando, he is Bobby; to the world, he is 'Ambassador'". Heritage Florida Jewish News. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  9. ^ "Meritage Homes Corp. completes Greater Homes acquisition". Orlando Business Journal. 6 September 2005. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  10. ^ Holton, Sean (1 July 1987). "River activist, builder named to nature panel". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  11. ^ a b c d Freeman, Joseph (21 September 2011). "Winter Park businessman Bob Mandell may become ambassador to Luxembourg". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  12. ^ Vosburgh, Mark (7 December 1990). "Another fund-raiser replaces West; Martinez taps developer for roads job". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  13. ^ Roy, Roger (23 January 1992). "Mandell rides 3-1 vote to top post on expressway board". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  14. ^ Roy, Roger (7 February 1995). "Expressway authority official Bob Mandell to leave post". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  15. ^ Kassab, Beth (21 November 2010). "Burnham's fundraising slowly going". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  16. ^ "Executive staff & board". Smithsonian. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  17. ^ "Board of directors". Human Rights First. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  18. ^ "Wilson National Cabinet". Wilson Center. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  19. ^ a b "PN743 — Robert A. Mandell — Department of State". Congress.gov. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  20. ^ Wilkie, Christina (29 June 2011). "Luxembourg ambassadorship: Obama donor Robert Mandell to replace 'horror report' Cynthia Stroum". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  21. ^ "Luxembourg ambassadorship".
  22. ^ Isabella D'Agosto (11 January 2015). "An interview with Robert A. Mandell, U.S. ambassador Luxembourg". ThePolitic.org. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  23. ^ "The art of diplomacy". Luxemburger Wort. 14 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  24. ^ "Luxembourg's US ambassador issues farewell statement". Luxemburger Wort. 17 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  25. ^ a b "Ambassador Robert A. Mandell made Commandeur de l'Ordre de la Couronne de Chêne du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg". Embassy of the United States, Luxembourg. 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  26. ^ "Biography, Robert A. Mandell". humanrightsfirst.org/. New York, NY: Human Rights First. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  27. ^ "Biography, Robert A. Mandell". americanambassadors.org/. Washington, DC: Council of American Ambassadors. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  28. ^ Mandell, Robert A. (October 26, 2016). "Mandell: I know Clinton — she's fit to lead Free World". Orlando Sentinel. orlando, FL.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Luxembourg
2011–2015 		Succeeded by
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