Kenneth H. MacKay

Governor Kenneth H. (Buddy) MacKay is a Senior Advisor of the Company. Governor MacKay has a 33-year distinguished career in public service. Most recently, he served in the White House Executive Office for the President as Special Envoy for the Americas from 1999-2001.

As Special Envoy for the Americas, Mr. MacKay advised President Clinton on hemispheric issues and concerns and worked to advance Administration policies in the Americas. During his time at the White House, he traveled to 26 countries in the Americas, working on issues such as the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), hemispheric security, strengthening the rule of law, labor standards, environmental policies and human rights.

Mr. MacKay was elected Lieutenant Governor of Florida and served from 1990-1998 and as Governor upon the death of Governor Lawton Chiles. Among his responsibilities as Lt. Governor, he managed Florida’s key role in the historic Miami Summit of the Americas.

Governor MacKay was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1982 for the first of three terms. While in the Congress, he served as a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and Drug Oversight Sub-Committee, and was an early leader in the effort to balance the federal government’s budget. Prior to his election to the US House, MacKay was a member of the Florida State Senate from 1974-1980 and served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1968-1974.

Buddy MacKay served in the US Air Force as a pilot from 1955-1958. He graduated from the University of Florida College of Law with honors in 1961.