S. Fitzgerald “Fitz” Haney, Managing Director, Latin America

The Latin American initiative of GPF is led by Ambassador Stafford Fitzgerald “Fitz” Haney, Managing Director of Latin America for The Genesis Prize Foundation. Haney is an accomplished American diplomat and international businessman. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica from 2015 to 2017, where he worked to strengthen commercial ties and regional security cooperation. He was the only politically appointed U.S. ambassador who served in both the Obama and Trump administrations.

Haney has held senior roles in finance and business development across Latin America, the U.S., and Israel, including positions at PepsiCo, Citibank, and Procter & Gamble. He has also held senior executive roles in Israeli venture capital and technology including at Viola Group,  Israel Seed Partners, and Vintage (where he currently sits on the advisory board). 

Born in Nashville, Tennessee, and raised in Illinois, Haney is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, holding both a B.S. in international economics and an M.S. in international business and diplomacy. He speaks fluent Spanish, Portuguese, and Hebrew.