Ray Willets Washburne was a member of the Advisory Council of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center and the chairman and chief executive officer of Charter Holdings, a private real-estate investment company. Washburne is also the former president and chief executive officer of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), a self-sustaining US government agency that helps American businesses expand into developing markets by providing them with tools to manage risks associated with foreign direct investment. Nominated for the OPIC presidency by then President Donald Trump on June 5, 2017, Washburne was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 27, 2017 and by the full US Senate on August 3, 2017. Washburne served until February 28, 2019. He served on the president’s Intelligence Advisory Board from May 2019 until January 2021.

Washburne has a long history working in business and has held several executive positions. He cofounded and co-owned M Crowd Restaurant Group, which owns and operates Mi Cocina, Taco Diner, and The Mercury restaurants, with various locations around the United States. Additionally, he served as the president and managing director of Highland Park Village, an upscale shopping plaza in Dallas, Texas.

A graduate with BA from Southern Methodist University, Washburne served as an adjunct professor at the university’s Cox School of Business.