Ambassador Rufus H. Yerxa, outgoing deputy director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), will join the faculty of the Monterey Institute as a visiting professor beginning in February.
“Ambassador Yerxa brings extensive experience as a policymaker, diplomat, trade negotiator and international lawyer to his new role at the Monterey Institute,” says President Sunder Ramaswamy. “Over the past 30 years he has been a key player in building and promoting the rules and institutions governing world trade. He will be a unique asset to the Institute and to our graduate students in trade and economic diplomacy, and international business.”
Ambassador Yerxa joins the Institute’s faculty after 11 years as deputy director-general at the WTO, where he worked to strengthen the organization by broadening its membership and enhancing its role in dispute settlement, monitoring and enforcement. Earlier in his career, he served as the United States Ambassador to GATT and was subsequently appointed by President Clinton to be the chief deputy U.S. trade representative in Washington. He was a leading figure in the effort to negotiate and secure Congressional approval of both the NAFTA agreement and the Uruguay Round/WTO agreement.