Luis M. Balzac

Member

Luis has returned to his firm and currently serves as Managing Partner at the BalzacCapo Group. During the past decade, he served as Deputy Secretary of State of Puerto Rico, Assistant Secretary of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC) and as Regional Director for the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA) in New York.

During his tenure as deputy Secretary of State of Puerto Rico, Luis was responsible for a staff of over 120 employees and 5 Auxiliary Secretaries, including services to the private sector, intergovernmental relations and the entire government transition. At PRFAA, he developed collaborative strategies for economic, social and political empowerment of Hispanics in the United States and Puerto Ricans on the island. Luis represented the Governor before municipal, state and federal agencies, while simultaneously directing the DDEC Office in New York City. As a media spokesperson in New York City, he managed media relations and landed top tier media hits covering economic development, healthcare and other key issues.

In the private sector, he was Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations for Pfizer, managing the jurisdictions of Puerto Rico, New York and Latino issues in Washington, D.C. In this role, he was responsible for leading a series of projects, executing public relations and public affairs initiatives with a view to influence public health policy in the pharmaceutical industry in Puerto Rico, New York and Washington, DC. Luis introduced several legislative projects and managed a team of vendors to successfully move Pfizer’s legislative agenda.

As founder and President of BalzacCapo Group, a public relations, marketing and business development consulting firm – Luis dedicated more than 15 years guiding clients from multiple industries to achieve successful strategic alliances.

As Director of the Washington Center for internships and Academic Seminars in Washington, D.C., Luis developed working relationships with members of Congress and their representatives in Florida, New York, and the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico. Luis acted as liaison to recruit students from the Córdova program, which currently has more than five-hundred students from Puerto Rico.

Luis is recognized for his ability to create efficient work teams and negotiate agreements through mediation—skills he refined during his tenure at the Consumer Affairs Division of the Department of Justice for the State of New Jersey. Luis facilitated better communication between consumers and businesses, thereby promoting solutions and avoiding legal actions.

Luis is also an accomplished sailor, who crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Spain to Puerto Rico, sailing the historical trajectory of the Christopher Columbus voyage to the new world. Luis has served on the Board of Directors of several nonprofit organizations, like the American Diabetes Association of New York, and the Advisory Board of the YMCA in the same city. Luis was recently recognized by El Diario La Prensa as one of the most successful and influential Latinos in New York and tri-state area.

Luis has a Bachelor’s degree in business administration from Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana with a concentration in marketing. He resides with his wife in San Juan and has three college-aged children.