About

The Honorable Antonio "Tony" Garza served as US ambassador to Mexico from 2002 to 2009. A businessman and attorney, he is considered an expert on US-Mexico relations and the business and political environments of both nations, particularly Mexico’s energy sector.

Amb. Garza is a director of the Americas Society/Council of the Americas and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and has received the Aztec Eagle, the Mexican government’s highest award for a foreigner.

Before his appointment as ambassador, he served as chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission. He also served as secretary of state for Texas, the senior policy advisor to the Texas governor, and as a county judge. Currently he serves as counsel in Mexico City for White & Case LLP and is chairman of Vianovo Ventures, a management consultancy firm that focuses on cross-border business development.

He has served on the boards of a number of companies, and now serves as a director to Kansas City Southern and as chairman of its subsidiary, Kansas City Southern de Mexico, and MoneyGram. He also serves as an independent director to Grupo ODH, which focuses on the deep water drilling industry in Mexico, and is a National Association of Corporate Directors Governance and Board Leadership Fellow.

He earned a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin and a JD from Southern Methodist University School of Law. He is a member of SMU’s board of trustees and the development board for UT Austin.