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Luis Ernesto Derbez

Luis Ernesto Derbez
Luis Ernesto Derbez

Returning home

Iowa State alumnus, Mexican foreign minister delivers Manatt/Phelps Lecture in Political Science.

At every chance he got, Luis Ernesto Derbez expressed how excited he was to return to his alma mater.

"I'm proud to be a graduate of Iowa State," he said. "But I have seen a big transition in the Iowa that I saw 23 years ago."

Derbez returned to Iowa State Nov. 3, 2003, to deliver the second Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political Science in front of a capacity crowd in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union. Derbez, secretary of foreign affairs (foreign minister) of Mexico, who received a doctorate in economics from Iowa State in 1980, talked on a variety of issues during his lecture, including NAFTA, other trade issues, world security concerns, and immigration policies between his country and the U.S.

"This is my first time back on campus (since graduation)," Derbez said. "And without any doubt, the fact that I came to the U.S. to study and to get in touch with your society has been a great advantage to me."

In his current role with the Mexican government, Derbez oversees the 70 embassies worldwide that Mexico maintains and another 50 consulates in the U.S. He is also a primary trade ambassador between Mexico and the U.S. and several Latin American countries.

"Eighty-five percent of our (Mexico's) trade is with the U.S.," he said. "Mexico is also the third largest importer of corn and pork from Iowa."

Because of the importance of each U.S. state, Derbez says the Mexican government not only promotes its business opportunities on a national level, but a state and local level as well. While in Iowa, Derbez met with Gov. Tom Vilsack and other local and state leaders.

And because there are 23-25 million native born or second-generation Mexican citizens currently living in the U.S., Derbez and his ministry also deal with a multitude of issues on the state and local level.

"Our priority, both in trade and immigration issues, is the United States," he said. "There is no month of the year that I'm not in this country."

Prior to assuming his current position, Derbez was Mexico's economic minister. Prior to that he worked for the World Bank for 14 years where he was responsible for the regional areas of Chile, Western and Central Africa, India, Nepal and Bhutan, among others.

While with the World Bank he directed, structured, implemented and supervised Multilateral Economic Assistance and Structural Adjustment Programs in Chile, Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala.

Derbez has also worked as an independent consultant for the World Bank Mexico City Office and for the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C. He has worked on economic recovery programs for countries in critical situations, including Honduras and Nicaragua after Hurricane Mitch destroyed a substantial part of their territory and economy.

The annual Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political Science was established by Thomas ('59) and Elizabeth Phelps and Charles ('58) and Kathleen Manatt ('58). The lecture will be held during the fall of each academic year and will initially focus on significant developments in the area of international political economy that have occurred during the previous year. The aim will be to discuss how politics and economics affect one another and how these issues are transnational in scope, as well as how the issues affect and are affected by the state of Iowa.

The Manatts and Phelps have also established the Manatt-Phelps Endowed Chair in International Political Economy in Iowa State's Department of Political Science.