U.S. Ambassador to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Retired
With over 40 years of entrepreneurial accomplishments, Ambassador Siegel understands the importance of investing in people. Clients recognize his innate skill of connectivity and his gift of matching individuals based on their shared philosophies of life. His success in forging personal relationships is founded on paying attention to what’s said and, more importantly, what’s unsaid.
He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Connecticut in 1973, earned a Juris Doctorate from the Dickinson School of Law in 1976, and, in 2014, an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration from the University of South Carolina. Soon after law school, he began to pursue his passion as an entrepreneur. He successfully expanded Howard Siegel Companies into the Weingarten-Siegel Group, one of the largest residential developers in New Jersey, Florida, and California.
Ambassador Siegel has developed, managed, operated, and owned over one billion dollars of residential and commercial real estate over his impressive and lengthy career. Through his years of government service, he has also cultivated the types of key relationships necessary to help bring international companies to the U.S., utilizing seven rules for working with clients:
Ambassador Siegel’s lifelong commitment to public service was officially recognized in 1999 when Florida Governor Jeb Bush appointed him to Enterprise Florida Inc.’s (EFI) Board of Directors, where he served until 2004, helping to promote statewide economic development through public-private partnerships. He also served on the Space Research and Commerce Park Planning & Development Committee at the John F. Kennedy Space Center.
In 2003, President George W. Bush honored him with a Presidential Appointment to the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) Board of Directors, where he served until 2007. In 2006, President Bush appointed him to serve under Ambassador John R. Bolton as the Senior Advisor to the U.S. Mission and as the U.S. Representative to the 61st of the United States to the United Nations. In 2007, he was asked to serve as U.S. Ambassador of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, using his expertise and business experiences to oversee all U.S. Embassy – Nassau operations.
Ambassador Siegel and his wife Stephanie live in Boca Raton, Florida. Proud parents and devoted grandparents, the couple supports many local civic organizations and causes in Israel.