The Genesis Prize Foundation has positioned Ambassador Stafford Fitzgerald “Fitz” Haney to lead its Latin American initiative as Managing Director. This strategic appointment brings decades of diplomatic and business experience to the organization’s mission of strengthening ties between Israel and Latin American democracies. The move, orchestrated by Stan Polovets, Co-founder and Chairman of The Genesis Prize Foundation, signals a significant expansion of the Foundation’s regional efforts.
Haney reports directly to Stan Polovets and oversees the American Friends of Isaac Accords (AFOIA), a nonprofit vehicle established in 2025 to advance President Javier Milei’s vision of promoting economic, cultural, and diplomatic cooperation between Israel and Latin American countries. The initiative takes inspiration from the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations.
A Diplomatic Career Spanning Two Administrations
Ambassador Haney’s appointment draws heavily on his unique diplomatic credentials. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica from July 2015 to July 2017, during which time he worked to strengthen commercial ties and regional security cooperation. His tenure was particularly notable because he became the only politically appointed U.S. ambassador who served under both the Obama and Trump administrations.
President Barack Obama first nominated Haney as U.S. ambassador to Costa Rica in July 2014. After Senate confirmation delays, Obama forwarded the nomination again in February 2015, and Haney was confirmed via voice vote on May 23, 2015. When President Trump took office in January 2017 and required all Obama-appointed ambassadors to vacate their posts, Haney received approval to remain, making him the sole political appointee to continue serving across the administration transition.
The Costa Rican government awarded Haney the Grand Silver Cross of the National Order of Juan Mora Fernández in July 2017 for his meritorious service to the country during his ambassadorship. His time in Costa Rica extended beyond traditional diplomatic circles. Following his service, Haney competed in the fourth season of Dancing with the Stars Costa Rica, reaching the finale and receiving nearly 30 percent of the public vote.
Business Experience Across Three Continents
Before his diplomatic service, Haney built an extensive career in international business and finance. After graduating from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service with both a B.S. in international economics and an M.S. in international business and diplomacy, Haney moved to Latin America to work for U.S. multinationals.
His corporate career began at Procter & Gamble in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he worked in brand management for three years. He then joined PepsiCo Restaurants International in 1994 as a marketing manager for Puerto Rico. PepsiCo promoted him to positions in Mexico City and later Brazil, where he served as marketing director responsible for both Pizza Hut and KFC brands across the country.
Haney transitioned to the financial sector in 1997 when he became vice president of marketing and strategic planning for Citibank Mexico. He managed 192 people and oversaw a marketing budget of $31 million after the bank’s acquisition of Banco Confia, developing a strategy for what was then Citibank’s third-largest consumer business globally.
Expertise in Israeli Technology and Venture Capital
A significant chapter of Haney’s career unfolded in Israel, where he gained expertise that now proves valuable for his current role. After taking a leave from Citibank to study Judaism and ultimately converting, Haney moved to Jerusalem and worked as a senior associate at Israel Seed Partners, which was then the largest seed-stage venture capital firm in Israel.
At Israel Seed Partners, Haney managed deal flow and investment analysis for a $240 million seed capital fund. He served as the lead investor in Cyota, Inc., managing the company through multiple funding rounds until RSA Security acquired it for $145 million. He also managed the investment and subsequent acquisition of location-based services company NomadIQ by Omnisky.
Haney later held senior executive roles at several Israeli venture capital and technology firms, including positions at Viola Group and Israel Seed Partners. He currently sits on the advisory board at Vintage. This Israeli technology sector experience provides him with valuable networks and insights for facilitating business development between Israel and Latin America.
Following his ambassadorship, Haney joined Viola in November 2017 as a Partner and Head of Strategic Development. Viola is an Israeli technology-focused investment group with assets under management approaching $3 billion.
Leading the Isaac Accords Initiative
As Managing Director for Latin America at The Genesis Prize Foundation, Haney now leads efforts to transform President Milei’s concept of the Isaac Accords into concrete diplomatic and economic progress. The accords aim to achieve several key objectives: relocating embassies to Jerusalem, officially designating Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations, adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, and improving voting alignment with Israel in the United Nations.
The Genesis Prize Foundation established AFOIA with a $1 million grant funded by the monetary award in honor of the 2025 Genesis Prize Laureate, Argentinian President Javier Milei. Each year, the laureate forgoes the $1 million prize, allowing the Foundation to create grant-making programs in their honor. President Milei expressed support for the establishment of AFOIA, stating that he trusted it would “inspire deeper dialogue and cooperation throughout the region, based on shared values such as freedom, democracy, and mutual respect.”
AFOIA has made seven initial grants totaling approximately $500,000 to partner organizations, including ILAN Israel Innovation Network, Rambam Health Care Campus, Israel Allies Foundation, StandWithUs, Yalla Israel (Maccabee Task Force), The Philos Project, and Fuente Latina. These partnerships work to foster economic, cultural, and diplomatic cooperation between Israel and Latin American countries.
The initiative focuses initially on Panama and Costa Rica, two countries that Haney knows well from his diplomatic service. Both nations have maintained diplomatic relations with Israel for decades and have adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism. However, neither country has relocated its embassy to Jerusalem, and neither designates Hamas or Hezbollah as terrorist organizations. Panama has voted against Israel 57 percent of the time in the United Nations over the past decade, while Costa Rica has opposed Israel 93 percent of the time.
Measuring Success Through Multiple Metrics
Public opinion metrics will assess improvements in sentiment toward Israel and Jews through surveys and social media analytics. Economic and cultural impact will be measured through growth in exchange programs involving students, journalists, and social media influencers, new or enhanced trade agreements, increased business delegations and cross-border investment, establishment of direct flights, boosted cross-tourism, and creation of innovation hubs.
Political impact will be monitored through visits by key political figures to Israel and changes in voting patterns at the UN. Haney and his team will collaborate with partner organizations to strengthen diplomatic relations, develop new economic, cultural, and strategic partnerships, transform the media landscape, engage younger generations, connect with religious communities, and deepen understanding of Latin American perceptions of Israel and Jewish communities.
A Foundation with Bipartisan Support
The Isaac Accords concept has received support from the United States government, which views the potential agreements between Israel and Latin American nations as a significant opportunity to enhance alignment and cooperation. The recently published position paper by the Heritage Foundation exemplifies the strategic alignment the U.S. administration sees with the Isaac Accords concept. This perspective extends across national security and foreign policy sectors, with the Isaac Accords viewed as a natural extension of the successful Abraham Accords launched during the first Trump administration.
Under Polovets’s leadership, the American Friends of the Isaac Accords (AFOIA) falls under the broader Latin American initiative of The Genesis Prize Foundation. Polovets serves on AFOIA’s Board of Directors alongside Ilya Oshman, GPF’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, and Steven A. Rakitt, Senior Advisor to the Chairman at GPF.
Haney’s fluency in Spanish, Portuguese, and Hebrew positions him to navigate the linguistic and cultural complexities of building relationships across Latin America and Israel. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, and raised in Illinois, he brings American diplomatic credentials combined with deep knowledge of Latin American business culture and Israeli technology ecosystems.
The appointment represents a strategic investment by Stan Polovets and The Genesis Prize Foundation in regional expertise at a time when geopolitical dynamics present both challenges and opportunities for strengthening Israel’s relationships in Latin America. As Latin American countries navigate their own foreign policy priorities and relationships with the United States, the Isaac Accords framework offers pathways for enhanced cooperation that could yield mutual benefits in security, technology transfer, and economic development.
AFOIA seeks to collaborate with donors who share its mission to strengthen ties between Israel and Latin American democracies, combat antisemitism in the region, and promote cultural, educational, and business exchanges. The organization acknowledges the complex geopolitical situation Israel faces, but remains focused on areas where it believes it can make a meaningful impact and establish foundations for future cooperation.
Through Haney’s appointment, The Genesis Prize Foundation has positioned itself to pursue a long-term strategy for transforming relationships between Israel and Latin America, building on diplomatic precedents while creating new frameworks for cooperation that transcend individual political administrations.
