The Biden administration has inherited a challenging geopolitical landscape, with great power competition with China intensifying, multilateral cooperation weakening, and threats of climate change, pandemic diseases, nuclear weapons, and cyber warfare rising. How can the United States leverage its alliances with its North American neighbors to advance democratic leadership and the liberal international order? Join us to learn more about Biden’s agenda from the perspective of two of the U.S.’s strongest partners with Rodger Cuzner, Consul General of Canada in Boston, and Alberto Fierro Garza, Consul General of Mexico in Boston.
Rodger Trueman Cuzner was first elected to the House of Commons in November 2000 as the Member of Parliament for Bras d’or Cape Breton. He was re-elected in five subsequent elections before his recent retirement in October 2019. During his 19 years in Ottawa, Rodger served in several roles including Parliamentary Secretary to former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Chief Opposition Whip, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development. In his early years in parliament, Rodger focused on matters surrounding both Veteran Affairs and Fisheries and Oceans. More recently, much of his attention was directed toward Workforce Development and National Labour issues. As an elected official representing the beautiful and iconic Northern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island, he worked with community and industry to build and mature the tourism sector. Major investments in infrastructure contributed to this growth, notably two of the top-rated golf courses in the world, Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs. Prior to this appointment, Rodger worked in the private sector as Senior Advisor at Rubicon Strategies in Ottawa. A graduate of St. Francis Xavier University, Rodger grew up in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. He is married to Lynn (nee Hopkins) and they currently live along the Mira River in Cape Breton. They have 3 sons: Mitch, Scott, Brad.
A Mexican career diplomat since 1993, he previously was the head of the splendid Cultural Institute of the Mexican Embassy in Washington, D.C. He was the Consul of Mexico in Orlando, FL and in St. Paul, MN. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he served as Director General for Educational and Cultural Cooperation and as Deputy Director General for North America. Alberto was Director General for International Affairs at the National Council for Culture and the Arts of Mexico. He served also as Director of the Social Promotion Department at Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. He holds a BA in Sociology from that university and a Masters in Latin-American History from Georgetown University. He lives with his husband David, his companion for more than 26 years.