Laurentino Cortizo

Laurentino Cortizo was inaugurated as president of Panama in July 2019.

President Cortizo studied at the Valley Forge Military Academy in the US and holds a Business Administration degree from Norwich University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and Ph.D. studies in International Business and Marketing at the University of Texas in Austin. President Cortizo served as a technical advisor to the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS) and was appointed as ambassador alternative representative of Panama to the OAS in 1986. In his political career, Cortizo served as senator/legislator from 1994 to 2004, was elected as president of the National Assembly in 2000, and served as the minister of agricultural development of Panama from 2004 to 2006. In the private sector, President Cortizo was the general manager of his family’s cattle ranch and concrete products industry.