The IOP@FSU Advisory Board is made up of distinguished individuals drawn from politics, private industry, public service, and the non-profit sector. We are thrilled to announce that the Advisory Board is led by Advisory Board Chairman Cardenas, who works directly with the IOP’s Director, Dr. Hans Hassell to advance the mission and activities of the Institute. We anticipate holding our first Advisory Board meeting in Spring of 2022 as we look ahead to the IOP@FSU’s activities in the 2022-2023 academic year.
Meet the 2022-2023 Institute of Politics Advisory Board
Al Cardenas will serve as Chair of the IOP@FSU Board and is a nationally recognized leader in law, business, and politics. He has served as an adviser to U.S. Presidents, as counsel of record in a number of precedent-setting and published court decisions, and as a commentator and writer on issues of national importance. He is a frequent contributor on NBC, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, Telemundo, and Univision, and is an opinion writer for a number of national publications.
He is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America and has been named one of Washington DC’s top lobbyists by The Hill. Al is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell and was named one of “The Most Influential Leaders in the Latino Community Today” by a number of leading national publications. As a senior partner in the firm, he chairs the Latin America and Florida Public Policy Practice Groups and is Deputy Practice Leader of the Public Policy Group.
Al is the Vice-Chairman of No-Labels, as a member of the International Republican Institute (IRI) International Advisory Board, and formerly as Chairman of the American Conservative Union (ACU). He previously served two terms as Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida and three consecutive terms as its Vice-Chairman.
Ronald Reagan chose Al for his transition team, leading the effort to organize and restructure the Department of Commerce. President Reagan also appointed him to chair the President’s Commission on Small and Minority Business Affairs and later as Special Ambassador to St. Kitts-Nevis upon that nation’s independence. Presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush appointed Al to the Board of Directors of the Federal National Mortgage Association. He also served on the President’s Trade Policy Commission.
Governor Jeb Bush appointed Al as a member of the Board of Trustees of Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University (FAMU). He is a former Trustee of Miami Dade College and was named to its “Hall of Fame.”
The Institute of Politics will be announcing the 2022-2023 Advisory Board over the course of the coming weeks.