Insulza comes to St. Edward’s as part of the Kozmetsky Center of Excellence in Global Finance Speaker Series, which continues to provide access to resources and experts from around the globe. Every year, the Kozmetsky Center chooses its fall speakers to coincide with United Nations Day (Oct. 24) and International Education Week (Nov. 13–17).

Insulza was elected in May 2005 to serve a five-year term as secretary-general of the OAS, which brings together the countries of the Western Hemisphere to strengthen cooperation and advance common interests. It is the region’s premier forum for multilateral dialogue and concerted action.

After taking a lead role in Chile’s political movement toward democratic elections in 1990, Insulza has held a number of high-level government posts, most recently as Chile’s vice president of the republic and minister of the interior. As OAS secretary-general, he pledges to strengthen the organization’s "political relevance and its capacity for action."

A lawyer by profession, he has a law degree from the University of Chile, did postgraduate studies at the Latin American Social Sciences Faculty and has a master’s in Political Science from the University of Michigan, where he began his career in academia. He has also been a professor of Political Theory at the University of Chile and of Political Science at Chile’s Catholic University.

Established through a $3 million gift from Ronya Kozmetsky and her late husband, George, the Kozmetsky Center of Excellence in Global Finance benefits not only students at the university — through interdisciplinary scholarly activities on campus and in international forums — but also individuals around the world who will be affected by sustainable financial stability.