James D. Fendell

                Immediate Past Chair, Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America (AACCLA)

                Chairman of the Board, Aeropost International Services Inc. 

               James D. Fendell has been doing business in the Americas since 1968, with a primary focus on journalism and the transportation industry.  Born in the United States, he was raised in Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica and educated in both hemispheres.  In 1988 he founded Aerocasillas in Costa Rica and six years later Aeropost International in Miami, Florida.  Mr. Fendell is Chairman of the Board of these growing companies, which currently operate in 14 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America.

              Concurrent to his professional activities, Mr. Fendell served as Chair of the Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America (AACCLA) from May 2003 – September 2005.  During this critical period in the Association’s growth, he directed its successful advocacy relating to the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement and the U.S.-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA).

              Earlier, he served as President of the Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce in 2000-2002.  He was previously Director and Treasurer of the California Chapter American Society of Travel Agents, Founding member and Director of the South Bay Press Club in Los Angeles, and Director of the Inter-American Press Association.  He is now a Board Member of the Costa Rica-United States of America Foundation (CRUSA), and is also a member of the Sigma Delta Chi Professional Journalism Society.  Mr. Fendell did his undergraduate studies in Journalism at Georgetown University, The University of Costa Rica and California State University.  He then completed a Copley Newspapers/UCLA Master’s in Journalism work-study program in Los Angeles.