[1][2] He is also a founder of the Council of American Ambassadors' Fellowship Program, which trains undergraduates for careers in diplomacy and international affairs.
[4][5][6][7] He also was the Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean of the US Agency for International Development from 1977 to 1979;[8] General Counsel for the Inter-American Foundation from 1973 to 1975; and an attorney for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation from 1971 to 1973.
Ambassador Valdez is recognized as one of the original proponents and an architect of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
He also served as the Chairman of the International Committee of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, a member of the Rivlin Commission on the Financial Priorities of the District of Columbia, and an honorary member of the US Christopher Columbus Quincentennial Jubilee Commission.
In addition to his many board affiliations, Ambassador Valdez has received numerous awards for his public service and has been decorated by King Juan Carlos I of Spain with the Order of Isabella the Catholic.