Drew Wilson
Mercury has brought on Emilio González as co-chairman of its Florida team, the bipartisan public strategy firm announced Monday.
“We are very pleased to welcome Emilio to the Mercury family,” Mercury Partner Ashley Walker said in a news release.
“Emilio has worked in the highest levels of government while also being successful during his time in the private sector. He will provide strategic guidance and bring a level of expertise that our clients will certainly appreciate and that will build our presence in Tallahassee as well as in Washington and internationally.”
González is a former Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a position he was appointed to by President George W. Bush.
During his tenure, he represented the Bush administration before Congress as its senior immigration official and led an enterprise-funded agency of 17,000 employees with a $3 billion budget.
Before leading the service, González served as Director of Western Hemisphere Affairs for the National Security Council. In this role, he was the Bush White House’s expert on Central America and the Caribbean.
Among his accomplishments was the congressional approval of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.
Most recently, González has served as Miami’s City Manager. As he exits the position, the city boasts its second-lowest millage rate in half a century, $2 million in reserves and its highest bond rating in its 124-year history.
“I am thrilled to be joining Mercury’s terrific team. It is truly a top-tier strategy firm with some of the best minds and most talented experts in the world,” González said. “I’m excited to hit the ground running.”
