Eduardo Aguirre Jr., Ambassador of the United States to Spain and Andorra

Eduardo Aguirre, Jr., was named by President George W. Bush to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain and the Principality of Andorra. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 16, 2005 and sworn in on June 24, 2005 by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He presented his credentials to His Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain on June 29, 2005.

Before his appointment as Ambassador, Mr. Aguirre served, beginning February 7, 2003, as the first Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an Under Secretary rank position in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. At USCIS, Director Aguirre led a team of 15,000 employees serving over 6 million annual applicants seeking immigration benefits. Under Director Aguirre's leadership, USCIS made significant and measurable progress towards eliminating the immigration benefit application backlog, improving customer service, and enhancing national security.

Director Aguirre joined the Department of U.S. Homeland Security from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank), where he served as Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer. From December 2001 to December 2002, he was Acting Chairman of this Federal Agency. Prior to joining President Bush's administration, Mr. Aguirre was President of International Private Banking for Bank of America. Over the course of his 24-year career with Bank of America, his team was consistently acknowledged for excellence in customer service and high employee satisfaction.

While residing in Texas, Mr. Aguirre was appointed by then Governor George W. Bush to the Board of Regents of the University of Houston System for a six-year term, serving from 1996 - 1998 as chairman. Former President George W. Bush appointed him to the National Commission for Employment Policy. In 1990, The Supreme Court of Texas appointed him to the State Bar as a non-attorney Director. Deeply committed to community service, Mr. Aguirre has served on numerous professional and civic boards, including the Texas Children's Hospital, Texas Bar Foundation, Operación Pedro Pan Foundation, Bankers Association for Finance and Trade, and the Houston chapters of the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

Mr. Aguirre was bestowed the Order of José Matías Delgado – Grade of Grand Officer – by the Republic of El Salvador, and the order of Christopher Columbus – Grade of Grand Officer – by the Dominican Republic. The Daughters of the American Revolution awarded him their 2004 Americanism Medal.

Mr. Aguirre holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University (LSU). He is a graduate of the American Bankers Association's National Commercial Lending Graduate School . He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Connecticut , the University of Houston and the Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago in the Dominican Republic .

Mr. Aguirre and his wife, Maria Teresa, each emigrated from Cuba as unaccompanied minors at the age of 15. They maintain their permanent home in Houston , where they have lived for three decades. The Aguirres have two grown children, Eddy and Tessie.