Charles Patrick Garcia
Encyclopedia
Charles Patrick García had recently started Garcia Trujillo LLC, a consulting, merchant banking, and venture capital firm where he is the Chief Executive Officer.
to parents Carlos A. Garcia, a Panama
nian surgeon, and Marilyn McCarthy Garcia. Shortly after he was born, the family moved to Panama City
, Panama. He grew up in Panama City and graduated from Balboa High School
, the American Canal Zone
high school, in 1979. He obtained a bachelors degree from the United States Air Force Academy
in 1983.
From 1983 to 1988 as an Air Force
junior officer, García served in staff officer assignments for U.S. Strategic Air Command
at Offutt Air Force Base
, Nebraska and at the United States Southern Command
then located in Panama. During this period, Mr. García earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma
.
In 1988, García received a one-year appointment to serve as one of fourteen White House Fellows
for the 1988-1989 term. As a Fellow, García was first assigned to work on the staff of the Department of State, then, several months later, to the Office of National Drug Control Policy
. Following his term in Washington, García returned to Air Force staff duty until he left active service in 1990.
In 1994, García obtained a juris doctor
degree from Columbia Law School
.
to force improvements to management. Between 1993 and 1996, Garcia, represented Holtzman's proxy fight
against ONBANCorp, Inc. of Syracuse, N.Y. Garcia also provided legal services to Holtzman in his 1996 solicitation for proxies against First Financial Corporation of Western Maryland. Garcia was then serving as a partner in a Boca Raton law firm, Garcia & Cope
In 1994, García was appointed co-manager of his former father in law's $60 million dollar “Thrift Value Fund,” based in Palm Beach County, and later as manager of at least two other investment funds of lesser value. By the time he terminated Thrift Value Fund relationship in late 1997, García was working at the Greenberg Traurig
law firm in Miami, advising banks and Savings and Loans institutions.
from family and friends, García bought assets of Agora Securities of Miami and relocated it to a Mizner Park
office in Boca Raton. With two other associates, Alexis C. Korybut and John Curry, García founded the “Sterling Financial Investment Group (SFIG).” An original goal of SFIG was to provide financial services
to the U.S. and overseas Hispanic market by partnering with small banks to set up their stock sales and insurance operations. Sterling provided a means of clearing
stock trades using García’s relationship with brokerage giant, Bear Stearns
& Co.
But, García also focused his business on providing private placement
services for large investors. Stock market research focusing on the healthcare and bio tech sectors was a core feature of Sterling Financial Investment Group. From the beginning, Sterling advertised itself being one of the few investment advisors willing to issue “sell” recommendations.
Using this model of combining investment research and partnership with small banks, García led his company on a path of aggressive growth, opening offices in a large number of U.S and overseas locations. In 2000, García established the “Sterling Financial Group of Companies” under Sterling Financial Holdings, Inc.
Sterling Financial then had three operating subsidiaries:
The creation of myPrivates.com, Inc. in 2000 cost over $5 million. Also in 2000, García struck a deal for almost $3 million to hire 140 brokers from the recently bankrupt Boca Raton-based Joseph Charles & Associates. To finance this expansion, particularly for the creation of the myPrivates.com subsidiary, García completed two funding rounds of private placement
venture capital
funding that raised a total of $8 million. Crossbow Ventures, based in Florida's Palm Beach County, was the lead investor in both funding rounds. As a result of the transactions, Crossbow Ventures obtained a minority equity stake in Sterling.
By 2001, SFIG claimed a worldwide network of more than 400 independent agents working out of more than 50 offices in the United States and eight offices in other countries including Panama
, Spain
, Chile
, Greece
and England
. In years 2001 and 2000, Sterling Financial Investment Group was named by the University of Florida
Fischer School of Accounting as the number one fastest growing privately held firms in the State as well as the fastest growing minority owned firm in Florida
. In mid-2002, the firm earned state certification as a Minority Business Enterprise
(MBE) which helped attract larger companies wanting to include minority firms as part of their syndicate offerings.
In August 2002, Hispanic Business
magazine named Sterling the number one fastest growing Hispanic
company in the United States
and it made Inc. Magazines “Inc 500 List” as the # 8 fastest growing privately held company in the United States
. Mr. García received the “Outstanding Business Leader” award by Northwood University
. In December 2004, Mr. García was selected by Hispanic magazine for the "Entrepreneur of the Year” award.
Sterling Financial Investment Group issued a number of press releases between 1998 and 2003 that described an explosive rate of revenue growth, shown below. However, the company never reported profit.
By 2003, García recognized that the myPrivates.com, Inc., Internet subsidiary
, was unsuccessful and had to be closed. Sterling Financial was then seeking outside investors to provide a cash infusion to continue to fuel expansion in the remaining businesses. But, this effort was hampered by a string of adverse regulatory findings. From 2002 to 2005, García’s company, without admitting or denying any allegations, accepted six fines totaling $456,000 for NASD
rule violations. Reported problems included issuing research reports that contained errors and exaggerations, lax record keeping, and weak monitoring of branch offices.
Sterling was also named in a 2004 lawsuit launched in Texas by a number of disgruntled investors of DOBI Medical Systems. Sterling was an underwriter or agent in four DOBI stock sales prior to a 2004 private placement
offering. From 2000 through 2004, Sterling also selected one member of DOBI's board of directors
. In the DOBI lawsuit, plaintiffs, mostly from Texas, maintain they were defrauded of several million dollars after they bought stock in DOBI in a 2004 private placement
offering in which Sterling was the placement agent.
García closed the Sterling Financial Investment Group’s research division in April 2005. In June 2005 Sterling sold its 30 independent brokerage offices in 20 states to Pointe Capital of Delray Beach for about $1 million. Finally, in May 2006, Sterling sold its remaining assets to vFinance, Inc., located in Boca Raton, for $3.4 million. As part of the sales transaction, vFinance agreed to hire Garcia at an annual salary of $262,000. Since vFinance bought the assets of Sterling Financial and not the company, lawyers expect vFinance will not face any liability
in the Texas suit.
vFinance was then under CEO Tim Mahoney
. Following Mahoney’s election to U.S. Representative for , Leonard J. Sokolow took over as CEO and board chairman of vFinance, Inc. Under Sokolow, García serves as President of the Sterling Hispanic Markets Capital Group.
vFinance, Inc. is a publicly traded company that has grown to more than $1 billion in assets since its founding in 1997. “In July 2005 vFinance cracked SouthFloridaCEO's South Florida 500 list as one of the Top 100 Public Companies in the region, posting $26.3 million in revenue for 2004. That was up slightly from $24.5 million in 2003.”
Biography
Charles Patrick García resides in Boca Raton, Florida. He was married to Allison Holtzman in 1993. The couple divorced in 2005, and he remarried Cristina Avila from Quito, Ecuador. García was born in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to parents Carlos A. Garcia, a Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
nian surgeon, and Marilyn McCarthy Garcia. Shortly after he was born, the family moved to Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
, Panama. He grew up in Panama City and graduated from Balboa High School
Balboa High School (Panama)
Balboa High School was a public high school in the former Canal Zone on the isthmus of Panama.-Early history:The history of Balboa High School is intimately bound to the history of the Panama Canal and the Canal Zone. Given the temporary nature of the enterprise, public secondary education for...
, the American Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
high school, in 1979. He obtained a bachelors degree from the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
in 1983.
From 1983 to 1988 as an Air Force
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
junior officer, García served in staff officer assignments for U.S. Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
at Offutt Air Force Base
Offutt Air Force Base
Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force installation near Omaha, and lies adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S...
, Nebraska and at the United States Southern Command
United States Southern Command
The United States Southern Command , located in Miami, Florida, is one of nine Unified Combatant Commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing contingency planning and operations in Central and South America, the Caribbean The United States Southern Command...
then located in Panama. During this period, Mr. García earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
.
In 1988, García received a one-year appointment to serve as one of fourteen White House Fellows
White House Fellows
The White House Fellows program was established by President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson in October 1964. President Johnson articulated that the mission of the program was "to give the Fellows first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the federal government and to increase...
for the 1988-1989 term. As a Fellow, García was first assigned to work on the staff of the Department of State, then, several months later, to the Office of National Drug Control Policy
Office of National Drug Control Policy
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy , a former cabinet level component of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, was established in 1989 by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988...
. Following his term in Washington, García returned to Air Force staff duty until he left active service in 1990.
In 1994, García obtained a juris doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
.
Early business history
Mr Garcia's former father in law, Seymour Holtzman, was a significant shareholder in several smaller thrifts and community banks. He would find poorly managed or undervalued banks then use his leverage as a shareholderShareholder
A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private corporation. Shareholders own the stock, but not the corporation itself ....
to force improvements to management. Between 1993 and 1996, Garcia, represented Holtzman's proxy fight
Proxy fight
A proxy fight or proxy battle is an event that may occur when a corporation's stockholders develop opposition to some aspect of the corporate governance, often focusing on directorial and management positions. Corporate activists may attempt to persuade shareholders to use their proxy votes A proxy...
against ONBANCorp, Inc. of Syracuse, N.Y. Garcia also provided legal services to Holtzman in his 1996 solicitation for proxies against First Financial Corporation of Western Maryland. Garcia was then serving as a partner in a Boca Raton law firm, Garcia & Cope
In 1994, García was appointed co-manager of his former father in law's $60 million dollar “Thrift Value Fund,” based in Palm Beach County, and later as manager of at least two other investment funds of lesser value. By the time he terminated Thrift Value Fund relationship in late 1997, García was working at the Greenberg Traurig
Greenberg Traurig
Greenberg Traurig LLP and Greenberg Traurig PA is an international law firm based in Miami, Florida.The firm has approximately 1,800 attorneys and governmental professionals in 32 locations in the United States, Europe and Asia. Its founding office is in Miami, Florida with its largest office in...
law firm in Miami, advising banks and Savings and Loans institutions.
Sterling Financial Investment Group
In 1997, with $800,000 in personal funds and seed moneySeed money
Seed money, sometimes known as seed funding, friends and family funding or angel funding , is a securities offering whereby one or more parties that have some connection to a new enterprise invest the funds necessary to start the business so that it has enough funds to sustain itself for a period...
from family and friends, García bought assets of Agora Securities of Miami and relocated it to a Mizner Park
Mizner Park
Mizner Park is an upscale lifestyle center in downtown Boca Raton, Florida. Besides upscale shops, Mizner is also composed of rental apartments and offices. The Centre for the Arts at Mizner Park is a cultural center on the north end of the development, which is embodied by an amphitheater and the...
office in Boca Raton. With two other associates, Alexis C. Korybut and John Curry, García founded the “Sterling Financial Investment Group (SFIG).” An original goal of SFIG was to provide financial services
Financial services
Financial services refer to services provided by the finance industry. The finance industry encompasses a broad range of organizations that deal with the management of money. Among these organizations are credit unions, banks, credit card companies, insurance companies, consumer finance companies,...
to the U.S. and overseas Hispanic market by partnering with small banks to set up their stock sales and insurance operations. Sterling provided a means of clearing
Clearing (finance)
In banking and finance, clearing denotes all activities from the time a commitment is made for a transaction until it is settled. Clearing is necessary because the speed of trades is much faster than the cycle time for completing the underlying transaction....
stock trades using García’s relationship with brokerage giant, Bear Stearns
Bear Stearns
The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. based in New York City, was a global investment bank and securities trading and brokerage, until its sale to JPMorgan Chase in 2008 during the global financial crisis and recession...
& Co.
But, García also focused his business on providing private placement
Private placement
Private placement is a funding round of securities which are sold without an initial public offering, usually to a small number of chosen private investors...
services for large investors. Stock market research focusing on the healthcare and bio tech sectors was a core feature of Sterling Financial Investment Group. From the beginning, Sterling advertised itself being one of the few investment advisors willing to issue “sell” recommendations.
Using this model of combining investment research and partnership with small banks, García led his company on a path of aggressive growth, opening offices in a large number of U.S and overseas locations. In 2000, García established the “Sterling Financial Group of Companies” under Sterling Financial Holdings, Inc.
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
Sterling Financial then had three operating subsidiaries:
- Sterling Financial Investment Group, Inc., a broker-dealer subsidiarySubsidiaryA subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
firm providing financial services, - myPrivates.com, Inc., an Internet subsidiarySubsidiaryA subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
providing online networking to entrepreneurs seeking venture capital, and investors searching for private placement opportunities, and - Sterling Financial Insurance Group, Inc., a wholly owned insurance company encompassing a nationwide network of 225 insurance agents.
The creation of myPrivates.com, Inc. in 2000 cost over $5 million. Also in 2000, García struck a deal for almost $3 million to hire 140 brokers from the recently bankrupt Boca Raton-based Joseph Charles & Associates. To finance this expansion, particularly for the creation of the myPrivates.com subsidiary, García completed two funding rounds of private placement
Private placement
Private placement is a funding round of securities which are sold without an initial public offering, usually to a small number of chosen private investors...
venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
funding that raised a total of $8 million. Crossbow Ventures, based in Florida's Palm Beach County, was the lead investor in both funding rounds. As a result of the transactions, Crossbow Ventures obtained a minority equity stake in Sterling.
By 2001, SFIG claimed a worldwide network of more than 400 independent agents working out of more than 50 offices in the United States and eight offices in other countries including Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In years 2001 and 2000, Sterling Financial Investment Group was named by the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
Fischer School of Accounting as the number one fastest growing privately held firms in the State as well as the fastest growing minority owned firm in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. In mid-2002, the firm earned state certification as a Minority Business Enterprise
Minority Business Enterprise
A Minority Business Enterprise is an American term which is defined as a business which is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled on a daily basis by one or more American citizens of the following ethnic minority classifications:...
(MBE) which helped attract larger companies wanting to include minority firms as part of their syndicate offerings.
In August 2002, Hispanic Business
Hispanic Business
Hispanic Business, Inc. is a media company based in Goleta, California, in the United States of America. The firm was founded by Jesús Chavarría in 1979 and its publications are oriented towards Hispanic professionals and entrepreneurs.-Publications:...
magazine named Sterling the number one fastest growing Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
company in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and it made Inc. Magazines “Inc 500 List” as the # 8 fastest growing privately held company in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Mr. García received the “Outstanding Business Leader” award by Northwood University
Northwood University
Northwood University is a private university with multiple locations. The school has four residential campuses: Midland, Michigan , Cedar Hill, Texas , West Palm Beach, Florida and a joint program with Hotel Institute Montreux in Montreux, Switzerland, began in 2001...
. In December 2004, Mr. García was selected by Hispanic magazine for the "Entrepreneur of the Year” award.
Sterling Financial Investment Group issued a number of press releases between 1998 and 2003 that described an explosive rate of revenue growth, shown below. However, the company never reported profit.
| Year | Reported revenue |
|---|---|
| 1997 | $100,000 |
| 1998 | $800,000 |
| 1999 | $4.2 million |
| 2000 | $14 million |
| 2001 | $16.3 million |
| 2002 | $24 million |
| 2003 | $31 million |
| 2004 | $28 million |
By 2003, García recognized that the myPrivates.com, Inc., Internet subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
, was unsuccessful and had to be closed. Sterling Financial was then seeking outside investors to provide a cash infusion to continue to fuel expansion in the remaining businesses. But, this effort was hampered by a string of adverse regulatory findings. From 2002 to 2005, García’s company, without admitting or denying any allegations, accepted six fines totaling $456,000 for NASD
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
In the United States, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA, is a private corporation that acts as a self-regulatory organization . FINRA is the successor to the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. ...
rule violations. Reported problems included issuing research reports that contained errors and exaggerations, lax record keeping, and weak monitoring of branch offices.
Sterling was also named in a 2004 lawsuit launched in Texas by a number of disgruntled investors of DOBI Medical Systems. Sterling was an underwriter or agent in four DOBI stock sales prior to a 2004 private placement
Private placement
Private placement is a funding round of securities which are sold without an initial public offering, usually to a small number of chosen private investors...
offering. From 2000 through 2004, Sterling also selected one member of DOBI's board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
. In the DOBI lawsuit, plaintiffs, mostly from Texas, maintain they were defrauded of several million dollars after they bought stock in DOBI in a 2004 private placement
Private placement
Private placement is a funding round of securities which are sold without an initial public offering, usually to a small number of chosen private investors...
offering in which Sterling was the placement agent.
García closed the Sterling Financial Investment Group’s research division in April 2005. In June 2005 Sterling sold its 30 independent brokerage offices in 20 states to Pointe Capital of Delray Beach for about $1 million. Finally, in May 2006, Sterling sold its remaining assets to vFinance, Inc., located in Boca Raton, for $3.4 million. As part of the sales transaction, vFinance agreed to hire Garcia at an annual salary of $262,000. Since vFinance bought the assets of Sterling Financial and not the company, lawyers expect vFinance will not face any liability
Legal liability
Legal liability is the legal bound obligation to pay debts.* In law a person is said to be legally liable when they are financially and legally responsible for something. Legal liability concerns both civil law and criminal law. See Strict liability. Under English law, with the passing of the Theft...
in the Texas suit.
vFinance was then under CEO Tim Mahoney
Tim Mahoney
Timothy Edward "Tim" Mahoney was a U.S. Representative for and a member of the Democratic Party. He was elected in November 2006 after his opponent, six-term Republican incumbent Mark Foley, resigned on September 29, 2006, after questions were raised about an email exchange with a congressional...
. Following Mahoney’s election to U.S. Representative for , Leonard J. Sokolow took over as CEO and board chairman of vFinance, Inc. Under Sokolow, García serves as President of the Sterling Hispanic Markets Capital Group.
vFinance, Inc. is a publicly traded company that has grown to more than $1 billion in assets since its founding in 1997. “In July 2005 vFinance cracked SouthFloridaCEO's South Florida 500 list as one of the Top 100 Public Companies in the region, posting $26.3 million in revenue for 2004. That was up slightly from $24.5 million in 2003.”
Other achievements
- While at Law School, García published an article in the Columbia Law ReviewColumbia Law ReviewThe Columbia Law Review is a law review edited and published by students at Columbia Law School. In addition to articles, the journal regularly publishes scholarly essays and student notes. It was founded in 1901 by Joseph E. Corrigan and John M. Woolsey, who served as the review's first...
that was cited by the Florida Supreme CourtFlorida Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court of the State of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. The Supreme Court consists of seven judges: the Chief Justice and six Justices who are appointed by the Governor to 6-year terms and remain in office if retained in a general election near the end of each...
. - During the 23-day launch of the Iraq war, he was TelemundoTelemundoTelemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
’s behind-the-desk military expert. After the 9/11 attacks García’s company issued press releases seeking to have him invited to comment on the threat from biological warfareBiological warfareBiological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
, and he soon made appearances discussing the issue. He has been featured as the cover story in numerous magazines and newspaper articles, and his opinion editorials have been carried by newspapers and magazines. He has appeared on CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's Crossfire (TV series)Crossfire (TV series)Crossfire was a current events debate television program that aired from 1982 to 2005 on CNN. Its format was designed to present and challenge the opinions of a politically liberal pundit and a conservative pundit.-Format:...
, Paula Zahn Now, TelemundoTelemundoTelemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
, and other news talk shows. - In June 2001 to December 2004, Florida Governor Jeb BushJeb BushJohn Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...
appointed Mr. García as the only HispanicHispanicHispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
to the seven member State Board of EducationBoard of educationA board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
, a new government entity responsible for overseeing all education delivery systems in the state with an annual budget exceeding $15 billion. In February 2002, he was appointed by President George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, charged with developing a blueprint to close the educational gap for HispanicHispanicHispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
children. On the Commission, he chaired its Public Awareness Committee. - In October 2003, Mr. García authored his first book on leadership and motivation, A Message From Garcia published by John Wiley & SonsJohn Wiley & SonsJohn Wiley & Sons, Inc., also referred to as Wiley, is a global publishing company that specializes in academic publishing and markets its products to professionals and consumers, students and instructors in higher education, and researchers and practitioners in scientific, technical, medical, and...
, simultaneously released in English and Spanish. Jaime EscalanteJaime EscalanteJaime Alfonso Escalante Gutierrez was a Bolivian educator well-known for teaching students calculus from 1974 to 1991 at Garfield High School, East Los Angeles, California...
whose life as a calculus teacher in East LA’s Garfield High SchoolGarfield High School (Los Angeles County, California)James A. Garfield High School is a public, year-round high school founded in 1925 in East Los Angeles, an unincorporated section of Los Angeles County, California. The school was made famous by the film Stand and Deliver about a teacher named Jaime Escalante...
was made into the movie Stand and DeliverStand and DeliverStand and Deliver is a 1988 American drama film, based on the true story of high school mathematics teacher Jaime Escalante. Edward James Olmos portrayed Escalante in the film and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.-Plot:...
wrote the foreword to the book. The book was ranked #1 business book on Amazon.comAmazon.comAmazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
and # 6 on the Wall Street Journal bestsellerBestsellerA bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
list and the New York Times reviewed it. - García was identified by Hispanic Magazine as one of the "100 most influential Hispanics in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
," and Hispanic Today magazine featured Mr. García in a cover story "Committing to Hispanic America" and Univision television selected him for their series "Orgullo Hispano". In September 2004 Grupo Santillana published Hispanics in the USA: Making History where he was chosen as one of the 14 HispanicHispanicHispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
role models for the nation. In May 2006, author Lionel Sosa published Think and Grow Rich: A Latino Choice (Ballatine Books) which also featured him as a role model in the business world for Latino entrepreneurs. - In 2005, President George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
appointed him to the United States Air Force AcademyUnited States Air Force AcademyThe United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
Board of Visitors which overseas all operations at the military academy. In November 2006 he was elected Board Chairman. He now serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Graduates, where he is Chairman of the Finance Committee; and also served as Chair of the Strategic Communications Committee. - García is a regular contributor to political campaigns. From 1999 to 2004 he is listed as personally contributing a total of $11,000 to various presidential and congressional candidates and Political Action Committees. He, and former wife Allison, are listed as contributing $2000 each to the 2004 campaign of George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. García was also a Bush PioneerBush PioneerBush Pioneers are people who gathered $100,000 for George W. Bush's 2000 or 2004 presidential campaign. Two new levels, Bush Rangers and Super Rangers, were bestowed upon supporters who gathered $200,000+ or $300,000+, respectively, for the 2004 campaign, after the 2002 McCain–Feingold campaign...
for the 2004 reelection campaign, raising at least $100,000 in contributions. - Garcia is on the Board of Directors of Winn-Dixie
- In May 2009, Mr. Garcia authored a second leadership book, Leadership Lessons of the White House Fellows: Learn How to Inspire Others, Achieve Greatness, and Find Success in Any Organization published by McGraw-HillMcGraw-HillThe McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., is a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Rockefeller Center in New York City. Its primary areas of business are financial, education, publishing, broadcasting, and business services...
which compiles leadership lessons from interviews of over 200 White House FellowsWhite House FellowsThe White House Fellows program was established by President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson in October 1964. President Johnson articulated that the mission of the program was "to give the Fellows first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the federal government and to increase...
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