Former Ambassador Edward L. Romero American Embassy, Madrid, Spain Last updated: 10/02/02 versión en español

On April 2, 1998, President Clinton announced his intent to nominate Edward L. Romero to be U.S. Ambassador to Spain. On June 1, the President named him to serve concurrently as Ambassador to Andorra. The Senate confirmed the nomination on June 23. Ambassador Romero arrived in Madrid on June 28 and presented his credentials to King Juan Carlos on June 30, 1998.

Edward L. Romero, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is a Korean War veteran and the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Advanced Sciences, Inc., an international environmental engineering and waste management corporation that recently merged with Commodore Applied Technologies, Inc.. Fluent in Spanish, Former Ambassador Romero has been a member of the U.S. Trade Representative's Services Policy Advisory Committee and has led a number of U.S. delegations to Mexico. During the Carter administration he served on the federal advisory committee for trade negotiations and he was a member of the U.S. delegation to the Helsinki Accords. In addition to his business success, former Ambassador Romero is a well-known leader in the Hispanic community. He is a founder of the Hispanic Culture Foundation and the National Hispanic Cultural Center in New Mexico. He has served on the President's Hispanic Advisory Committee, was a founding member of the Albuquerque Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and serves on the board of directors of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. In 1989, former Ambassador Romero was named National Hispanic Businessman of the Year by the Hispanic Chamber of the Commerce. He is a founder of Valor Telecommunications Southwest, LLC.

Former Ambassador Romero is actively engaged in a variety of civic and charitable activities. He has received numerous awards and acknowledgments from various U.S. and Spanish organizations:

- National Kidney Foundation
- New Mexico Anti-Defamation League
- National Hispanic Scholarship Foundation
- Multiple Sclerosis Society
- Knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Madrid, Spain
- Honorary Brother of the International Brotherhood of Researchers, Toledo, Spain
- Noble Honorary Brother of the Illustrious and Most Ancient Brotherhood of Mozarabic Knights, Toledo, Spain
- Honorary Academic of World Academy of Science and Tecnnology, Valencia, Spain

Former Ambassador Romero was born on January 2, 1934, to a family whose ancestors arrived in North America from Spain in 1598. He studied at Los Angeles State College and Citrus College. He is married to Cayetana García. They have four children and eight grandchildren.