USHCC congratulates Julissa Reynoso on her confirmation by the United States Senate as the U.S. Ambassador to Uruguay

The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) congratulates Julissa Reynoso on her confirmation by the United States Senate as the U.S. Ambassador to Uruguay. This makes her the first Dominican American to become a United States Ambassador in U.S. history.

Julissa Reynoso was nominated by President Barack Obama on October 17, 2011 and confirmed by the Senate on March 29, 2012. Prior to her confirmation, she served in the U.S. Department of State as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central America and the Caribbean.

“Julissa Reynoso’s appointment as U.S. Ambassador to Uruguay represents an historic moment for Hispanics,” said Javier Palomarez, President & CEO of the USHCC. “She is superbly qualified to represent the interests of the U.S. and we are deeply proud to recognize her as the first Dominican American to reach such a prominent position.”

“We applaud the U.S. Senate for setting aside partisan concerns in their confirmation of Julissa Reynoso as Ambassador to Uruguay,” said Nina Vaca, Chairman of the USHCC.

“Ambassador Julissa Reynoso personifies American exceptionalism and we believe U.S. interests will be well served during her tenure” said Javier Palomarez. “Her appointment and confirmation as Ambassador to Uruguay should serve as an inspiration not only to Hispanics, but to all citizens in spurring them on to pursue the American dream.”

Born in Salcedo, Dominican Republic in 1975 and raised in The Bronx, New York since she was seven years old, Julissa Reynoso earned a B.A. in Government from Harvard University, a Masters in Philosophy from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law. After law school, she clerked for the Honorable Federal Judge Laura Taylor Swain.

After her clerkship, Reynoso was a fellow at Columbia Law School and later practiced international arbitration and antitrust law at the New York law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett from 2006 to 2009. She served as Deputy Director of the Office of Accountability at the New York City Department of Education and was a legal fellow at the Institute for Policy Integrity at New York University School of Law from August 2008 through July 2009, when she received her first State Department appointment. She is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations.