Francisco Javier Cimadevilla graduated in 1983 from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C., where he obtained his Bachelor’s Degree magna cum laude in International Economics with a concentration in International Finance and Commerce. He obtained his Juris Doctor degree at the Harvard Law School in 1986. While in law school, he was editor of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy.

From 1986 to 1990, Cimadevilla was an Associate Attorney at the law firm of Baker & McKenzie in Washington, D.C., where he did extensive work in several areas of international trade law and regulation. He later worked as International Legal Counsel at the law firm of Fabregat & Bermejo in Madrid, specializing in the areas of corporate law, foreign direct investment and EEC trade law.

From 1993 to 1999, Cimadevilla served in government, first, as Assistant Secretary for Caribbean Basin Affairs at the Department of State in San Juan, where he was responsible for the planning, direction and supervision of joint federal and Government of Puerto Rico programs in support of economic development projects in both Puerto Rico and eligible Caribbean Basin Initiative beneficiary countries, and later, Deputy Secretary at the Department of Economic Development and Commerce, where he was responsible for the research, analysis and formulation of the local government’s public policy on economic development and assisted the Secretary in the supervision and coordination of eight agencies and two public corporations responsible for the economic and commerce development of Puerto Rico.

In 1999, Cimadevilla started a decade-long tenure as Editor and then as Editor in Chief of CARIBBEAN BUSINESS—Puerto Rico and the Caribbean’s largest and most respected business newspaper—as well as its wide portfolio of related business publications.

In 2009, Cimadevilla founded Forculus Strategic Communications, a strategic planning, communications and public affairs consultancy firm in San Juan.