J. Antonio “Tony” Villamil

Dean, School of Business of St. Thomas University of Florida

 

Tony Villamil’s leadership qualities and globally recognized expertise in economics, public policy and international trade transcend both the government and private sectors. He has over thirty years of successful experience as a business economist, university educator and high-level policymaker at both federal and state governments. He has served as a Presidential appointee U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs and Chief Economist of the United States Department of Commerce, being the first Cuban American at the time to become Undersecretary of Commerce for the nation. Tony is the founder of a successful economic consulting practice, The Washington Economics Group, Inc. (WEG). Since August 2008, Tony is the Dean of the School of Business of St. Thomas University of Miami, while continuing to serve as Principal advisor to the clients of WEG.

 

Tony is a member of the President’s Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations in Washington, D.C. He is the immediate past Chairman of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors of Florida, and during 1999-2000, he directed the Tourism, Trade and Economic Development activities of the State in the Office of Governor Jeb Bush. Presently, he is on the Board of Directors of the Spanish Broadcasting System (NASDAQ), Mercantil Commercebank, N.A. and

Tony served as a Presidential appointee U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs and Chief Economist of the United States Department of Commerce.

Enterprise Florida – the State’s principal economic development organization.

 

Among other leadership positions, he served in 2008 as the economist of the constitutionally mandated Tax and Budget Reform Commission of Florida (TBRC), and is currently Chairman of the Economic Roundtable of the Beacon Council – Miami-Dade County’s official economic development organization. He is also a Senior Research Fellow of Florida TaxWatch, an established fiscal and policy research

organization of the State. After winning the gubernatorial election in November 2006, then Governor-elect Charlie Crist appointed him as his Economic Advisor during the transition period.

 Tony earned bachelor and advanced degrees in Economics from Louisiana State University (LSU), where he also completed coursework for the Ph.D. degree. In 1991, Florida International University (FIU) awarded him a doctoral degree in Economics (hc), for “distinguished contributions to the Nation in the field of economics.” An extensive list of publications in academic journals, books and university publications includes the journal of Public Policy, Institute of Public Policy, Ana G. Mendez University System (Puerto Rico); “Democratic Conditions in Guatemala and their Socio-Economic Impacts,” Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs; Florida Trend and University of Miami’s Center for Hemispheric Policy. He speaks frequently to business, government and university audiences on economic topics, and was until the summer of 2008 a member of the Graduate Business Faculty of Florida International University (FIU).